This Teen’s Thirteenth Birthday Went From Terrific To Traumatic In A Snap

If you are like most people out there, you probably still want your birthday to be a blast. This is even truer when you are younger – year after year, you probably wait for the day of your birth to come so you can celebrate with your close friends and family members. If you happen to have divorced parents, perhaps you even get to celebrate the same day twice! Kelsey Frederick is the child of separated parents, but she was lucky enough that her parents Christin and Schaffen did not have any problem scheduling two celebrations for their little girl. Sadly, things did not happen the way they planned.

Two Parties For One Teenage Girl

It was a special day for Kelsey Frederick, one even more special than her birthday in the past years. Why? Well, she was about to turn 13! As we all know, this meant she was going to be a teenager at last. She was ready for her two birthday celebrations, which was a tradition she has since gotten used to.

Thirteen Queen

Naturally, Kelsey hoped that this was going to be a memorable year for her. It was a special birthday, so she wanted it to be a good way to kick off her teendom. What could be more fun than a slumber party?

Highlights

There was something else that made it a special birthday – her mom agreed to get her highlights in her hair! Her friends at school were starting to experiment with their hair and appearance, and she wanted to try it for herself as well.

Off To Dad’s House

On her special day, she spent some time at the salon. After the treatments, she was taken to her dad’s place. Back then, she did not know that something was going to happen that weekend…

She’s Not Alone

Considering the divorce rate in the country, you can be sure there are many children like Kelsey and her siblings. The good thing is that she splits her time with her two parents. She spends the weekends with a different parent, so it is never boring for her. When she spends time with her dad, they go to baseball games together.

Mother And Daughter Duo

However, their relationship does not quite hold a candle to the relationship she has with her mother. After all, Kelsey and Christin are more than just mother and daughter or housemates. They are the best of friends on top of that!

A Close-Knit Bond

This is a relationship that many people dream of having. Kelsey is not afraid to talk to her mother about whatever topic she can think of. The young girl must be happy that she has a mother who is always around to guide her through girlhood and more.

A Different Kind Of Relationship

She and her father get along just fine but let us just say that things are not the same. For one thing, he does not care as much when she talks about school, friends, or her hobbies. On top of that, she spends more time with her mother than her father.

A Family Affair

Kelsey was only little when her parents Christin and Schaffen decided to call it quits and got a divorce. It must have been hard for her since she was so young, but she was lucky enough to be surrounded by supportive siblings and cousins. We doubt she would have dealt with it so well without their presence.

Sports Gal

Kelsey is no stranger to sports as she has been into them for as long as she could remember. Aside from her relatives, her hobbies kept her busy and occupied while these changes were happening. This was good as her parents wanted her life to remain as steady as possible despite everything.

In Agreement

Kelsey is fortunate that there is no bad blood between her parents even though they got a divorce. They stayed on good terms for the sake of the children. They agreed on the way they would raise their daughter by setting guidelines by which they would her. As you can see, it was not all that bad.

A Little Fish

It might seem like no big deal, but Christin and Schaffen made the commitment to bring their daughter to Lake Erie once a month. Kelsey was a fan of this trip, which they used to take together before the divorce. They decided to continue with the tradition even though they have split up.

New Love

Kelsey’s father managed to find love once more not that long after the divorce. He got together with Sarah, a coworker of his at the fire department. Kelsey was perfectly fine with this since she liked her anyway. Schaffen eventually proposed and walked down the aisle with her.

The Deal With Her Dad

The presence of Sarah in her daughter’s life did not bother Christin. As long as Schaffen’s new wife did not mess with the way the two of them agreed to raise the kids, all was fine and dandy. Luckily, Kelsey did not act up at all. The most important thing to her was that her dad was happy once more.

Strong Women All Around Her

Another thing that helped her navigate this new change in their lives was how used she was to strong women. After all, there was never a lack of them when she was growing up. Aunt Kelly was always around and served as a second mom to her. Haylee Ann, her godmother, was also one such woman.

Endless Maternal Figures

These two women always gave the young girl advice and help whenever she needed them. They listened to what she had to say and acted like maternal figures as well. She did not feel intimidated by the arrival of Sarah. The women we mentioned here are all key players in the events that happened on her birthday.

A Challenge

If you ever had to pick out a gift for someone this age, you would know that it can be difficult. Kelsey proved to be an even bigger challenge because her hobbies were considered unusual for a girl her age.

No Glitz

There was one guideline that Kelsey laid out for everyone: no glitz, please! She was not a “girly-girl”, which explains the request. She did not want something sparkly or pink as a gift. Her mom decided to ask loved ones to help look for a gift.

Not Like Other Girls

Kelsey liked to play softball, although there was nothing else she needed to play the sport. She was also a fan of fishing, but it did not feel right to give her fishing gear at her birthday party. Besides, she already had everything needed for this hobby. She was one happy girl – what could she possibly want?

Something A Bit Cheaper

They knew that Kelsey had been asking for a Mia Hamm jersey for a long time already. Sadly, it went for quite a high price, so Schaffen and Christin could not afford to get one for her. They needed to check out other possible gifts for this very reason.

Taking Forever

Kelsey could not help but feel like her birthday was still such a long way, but this is pretty common for kids her age. Just about every 12-year-old would be excited to get to the day they are officially a teenager. Kelsey and her pals went online to look for new party ideas.

An Important Milestone

Christin still could not believe that it had been a decade and a third since she first laid her eyes on her beautiful daughter. From a baby, she was now on her way to becoming a woman. You know what they say – “time flies”!

Her Choice

Christin wanted to make a good choice this year since she knew how important this birthday was for her daughter. The previous celebrations always had some element of surprise to it. This time, Christin decided to try something new by giving Kelsey the chance to pick her own gift.

A Beauty Queen

Like other girls her age, Kelsey enjoyed experimenting with make-up and hair. She was typically full of excitement whenever there was a wedding because it meant getting ready. Christin was aware of her hobbies and interests – how could she not when Kelsey borrowed her things so much? Even then, she was surprised to hear her daughter’s request.

Highlights For My Birthday

Kelsey told her, “Mom, I want to get highlights for my 13th birthday”. This teen wanted to give her brown hair more life by adding in blonde highlights. How did Christin feel about this request?

Worried

It was a pretty normal request, although the thing is that it will always come as a shock to a mother to hear that her child wants to change the way she looks. Christin started to worry that Kelsey was not confident about her appearance.

Like Her Mother

Christin braced herself by telling her that she got highlights a long time before the birth of Kelsey. Perhaps her child got this desire from her! She eventually reached the conclusion that it was useless to worry about something like that.

Darker

Even though Christin was shocked, she reminded herself that she did offer Kelsey the opportunity to pick her gift. Of course, there was no way she was going to take it back. The young girl’s hair had gotten darker over the years, and highlights were not at all uncommon. She still felt a tad bit nervous, although she already knew what she needed to do.

A Great Big Sister

Christin did not only comply since it was her daughter’s birthday. No, she also wanted to reward Kelsey for her actions. She was a great big sister to her three brothers, after all. She never failed to help them out and act like a good role model to her siblings.

Mom And Daughter Bonding Session

Christin conceded and even availed of a royal treatment for the birthday girl. Neither she nor Kelsey knew what to expect from the salon, which is why they decided it should be a solid mother-daughter bonding session instead. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun?

Nails Too

Christin knew just the place to go. The local salon she went for hair also offers other services such as massages, manicures, and pedicures. Kelsey was about to get the executive treatment on her birthday. Christin was a known customer there, so they gave her a hefty discount.

Matching Mom And Daughter

The mother and daughter duo got manicures and pedicures on that day. We all know this is the key to a great day. Kelsey did not know it at the time, but she was about to get something else on her birthday.

A Relaxing Day

They continued to wait for her makeover and prayed that it would turn out fine. They spent a long and calm day together but it all concluded in the moment of the big reveal. At last, it was time to look at the end result of the treatments they got.

Could Not Believe Her Eyes

Kelsey looked at herself in the mirror of the salon but could not believe it was her in the reflection. The highlights in her hair made her look like a different person. Christin was equally shocked by the result. It was the good kind of shock, however – her daughter was smiling so beautifully after everything!

A Surprise Up Her Sleeve

Aside from this, Christin was hiding a surprise from the birthday girl. She did not only pay to get her nails and hair done… Makeup was also part of her itinerary! Doesn’t that sound like the most exciting thing? Of course, there was no better place to go than Sephora, the makeup superstore itself.

Bliss

Christin did not forget to take a photo of her daughter, who looked even more gorgeous than usual. She then posted it online, so their family and friends could see the result. The mother and daughter duo did not know that there was someone who saw it and had a negative reaction…

Next Stop Is Dad’s Place

It was only natural for the teenage girl to feel eager to show everyone her new look. However, their schedule indicated that she had to go spend time with her father now. It was his turn to celebrate her 13th birthday, now that Christin was done with her turn.

His Turn

Christin did not mind bringing her darling to Schaffen’s house. She started the car and dropped Kelsey off at her former husband’s house. The plan indicated that their daughter was going to be staying over for the weekend. Of course, this was the arrangement to ensure Kelsey and Schaffen had time together.

Something Smells

Kelsey would normally stop using her mobile phone whenever she was over at her father’s. Christin did not mind not hearing from her since this was normal. That must be why she was so shocked when she found the state her daughter was in a couple of days later.

Who Was She?

In the beginning, Christin was unable to recognize the girl at the front door. Kelsey was there, crying so much her face was puffy and swollen. There was something else that was different. What was it?

Horrible Haircut

She could not find the highlights she had installed in Kelsey’s hair. Even worse, most of her hair had been cut off! Did someone butcher it over the past few days? Christin could not help but feel shocked, but she was firm about getting to the bottom of this.

From Extreme High To Extreme Low

What made things even more difficult was the fact that Kelsey had been hiding her face by burying it into her hands. It was easy to see that the young girl felt humiliated by her ordeal. Christin could not believe this. Exactly what happened in the past few days?

Self-Esteem Plummeted

In only a matter of moments, Kelsey started from feeling like the most gorgeous and confident she ever felt to the lowest of lows. The young girl could not even stand to see her face in the mirror. You do not need to be a genius to figure out that her self-esteem is now in the dumps. What led to this?

Fuming

Kelsey would not talk about it, so Christin decided the only way to go was to take direct action. She hopped into her car and drove all the way to where Schaffen and Sarah lived. Christin was absolutely furious that her former husband would do something like this to the apple of her eyes!

How Could You

When she got there, she headed up to the door and yelled at Schaffen and Sarah. She demanded to know why they did something like that to her beloved daughter, on her birthday no less. She also wanted to know why they did not even bother to consult her at any point.

Punished

At this point, you probably have an idea of what went on during the weekend. Schaffen and Sarah despised the new hairstyle on Kelsey and punished her for that. They said, “actions have consequences”. Surely, there was something else they could have done about it if they thought it was too precarious?

Smile No More

Kelsey was the image of happiness after their day at the salon. Now, she could not even smile! Christin hated to see her in this state. She also had a hard time believing Schaffen did not like the highlights.

Taking Her Frustrations To Facebook

She could not help but feel helpless and furious at the same time. She decided to go and do something therapeutic. By that, we mean she went on Facebook and shamed her former husband there, of course!

Sensitive Person

Christin wanted to give Schaffen a taste of his own medicine. She could not believe that the man she loved would do something like that to their young and sensitive daughter. It did not take a long time before people – even those she did not know – started to notice her post.

When You Go Viral

Keep in mind that Christin did not do this to go viral and earn clout. She only wanted her closest friends and loved ones to confirm that he was unjustified in doing what he did. As we all know, there is no way to tell how people are going to react to a post you made in the public sphere…

A Little Too Much

If you ask us, there is something impressive about the fact that it received 33,000 reactions and 24,000 shares in the span of a week. Online users could not stop themselves from talking about how they felt about it. Kelsey, however, found the spotlight to be more than she can bear. Come on – she’s only 13 years old!

Outrage From Strangers

At least Christin was able to get the support she had been craving for… though it ended up exceeding her expectations several times over. Strangers said what Schaffen and Sarah did was “disgusting” and “ridiculous”. What do you think?

Stand For Your Kids

Here was what one such person had to say about it: “What a cruel thing for a parent to do to their child. So sorry that happened…beautiful no matter what!” Like we said, however, Kelsey did not like the idea of having her face and new hair go viral on the internet.

Theories And Speculations Abound

Of course, it was practically expected that other people would take Kelsey and Christin’s side over Schaffen and Sarah’s after hearing about it. However, people started coming up with other theories. Some of them thought there was some other problem they did not mention.

Everyone Had An Opinion

One commenter theorized that they did not know the whole story: “I think the daughter was unfortunately in the middle of a get back at you between both parents fighting.” Could it be possible that Christin and Schaffen used their daughter as a pawn for some fight they have? Hmm…

The Highlight Problem

People with children of their own expressed mixed feelings about the highlights that Kelsey got installed. It was rather easy to see that some agreed Schaffen had the right to feel upset if his daughter changed her appearance without hearing about it first. However, they still did not excuse the choices he made.

Unsettling

Some people thought that a 13-year-old girl should not be getting her hair done just yet. They could make an exception for Halloween but, even then, only wash-out sprays and wigs should be acceptable. Meanwhile, others defended the decision by saying that it was not permanent anyway. Of course, the vast majority thought that the chopped hair was still a lot more disturbing.

Sympathy From Strangers

Luckily, a lot of these people could understand how the teenage girl probably felt at the time. While Christin received plenty of comments that trash talked Schaffen, others decided it was more important to extend their sympathies to Kelsey. These kind individuals paid her compliments, shared heartwarming thoughts, and suggested other things she can do with her hair. The young girl felt comforted by these generous people. She did not know how it was possible that they knew her better than Schaffen did.

Making Up For It

When the story began to get a lot of traction, Christin figured out that they could turn the attention into something useful for her daughter. There were a lot of people keeping track of the story, so she thought it would be neat to start a fundraiser to earn the money for Kelsey’s next hair treatment. She went on GoFundMe, created her account, explained the situation and asked people to donate money to help salvage Kelsey’s big day. There was a possibility that this would go nowhere, but Christin was willing to take that risk.

Showing Off Her Daughter

Christin did not expect all the attention their story received, which is why she did her hardest to keep everyone posted about how her daughter was doing. No one would ever look down on Kelsey for feeling emotional about what happened to her. Luckily, things were improving, as evidenced by the fact that she was slowly getting back to her regular programming and no longer hiding her face. Her mother liked to post the updates so that they would have a better understanding of her wonderful daughter.

Forgetting About The Trauma

The followers were able to see this young girl play softball and go on fishing trips. Of course, they also noticed that she was wearing the haircut she did not want the entire time. At the moment, there was nothing to do but stay strong and move forward.

Strong Support

People started to get a better understanding of Kelsey and felt inspired by her strength and perseverance. The team always supported her, which definitely made things easier for her. More drama was about to go down, however. Christin and Kelsey only found out about it when they got a knock on the door. Who could it have been?

Press And The Police

Apparently, one of the people following the story was convinced that there was some parental abuse in the case and contacted the police. The authorities were now involved, so it was only a matter of time before Fox8 covered the story. They talked about how Kelsey received an unwanted haircut courtesy of her dad and stepmom on her birthday. Police Chief Colby Carroll said, “I’ve been doing this since ’92 and I’ve never had a case I would say that’s like this.”

Administrative Leave

This was how Schaffen ended up with the authorities at his house. He and Sarah were handed suspensions by their employer, the Middletown Township Fire Department. If you want to hear the specific details, they were on so-called “administrative leave”. Clearly, they did not approve of the behavior displayed by their employees.

Consequences For Their Actions

They launched an investigation, which concluded with the local judges declaring that the pair had to pay their dues. There were people who argued if the punishment had been too harsh for the so-called crime. If you feel the same way, do not forget what they mentioned about consequences and actions… Although the investigation has reached its end, the family drama was still ongoing.

The Court’s Decision

The legal authorities ended up giving Christin full custody of Kelsey. She went online and posted this on Facebook: “After 5 hours of testimony and ‘evidence’ provided by both parties, the magistrate’s decision was for Kelsey to live with mom and her siblings!”

No More Joint Custody

She even added, “A huge weight has been lifted off of everyone’s shoulders and we cannot be any [happier]!!” Even though the mother and daughter duo felt happy and glad for the way it all turned out, Kelsey had to make a big sacrifice.

Aunt Kelly Helps Kelsey Out

Kelsey was unable to get her things out of Schaffen’s property before she had to be legally removed from there. We cannot imagine that she felt eager to go and do this because there was no getting around it without seeing both Schaffen and Sarah. That was how she ended up surrendering a lot of things that she held near her heart. As a way to make it somewhat better for Kelsey, her Aunt Kelly took to GoFundMe to raise money that will make up for the things the girl lost.

Encouraging Words From Strangers

Even though they could not have gotten a better result than the hand they were dealt, Christin and Kelsey still felt pained by the situation they were facing. After all, they were on completely good terms with Schaffen one moment and then no longer talking the next. Fortunately, their supporters were there to suffer them with sympathies at a time they needed them the most. The good news was that it could only get better from there.

Reaching Their Target Goals

It took a relatively short time for the audience to show her support for the cause and hand over their money to help Kelsey out. Aunt Kelly put down a goal of a thousand dollars, so you can imagine her shock when they got to nearly twice that amount without a problem. Aside from that, they got the shock of their lives when an unnamed donor made a generous contribution of $2,000! That meant their fundraising efforts reached a total of $3,543! Whoa. What were they going to do with all that money?

Going Back To The Salon

This was not a particularly tough question to answer. They returned to the salon to ensure that her hair was fine before they did anything else. They ended up at the Lady Jane salon, whose staff members already got a heads up regarding the situation. How? Well, Haylee Ann got there before they did to make sure they knew what the deal was. This was the reason a welcome committee was ready for Kelsey as soon as she got there!

Incredible Results

At the salon, the employees anticipated the arrival of the girl they had heard so much about. They were ready to give her the magical treatment she needed. The staff knew the young girl acted strong no matter how traumatic her birthday had been. They wanted to make her as happy as possible.

The Sky Is The Limit

They asked Kelsey what look she wanted so that they could make it a reality. Haylee Ann was there to show her goddaughter some support, which made Kelsey feel even more courageous. She paid attention to the advice they gave her and found herself agreeing to another big chance. What could it be this time?

Happy Once More

She was aware that it was going to take some time before her hair grew back to its original length. This was why Kelsey decided to sport a wig while she waited. She liked the choices offered by the salon and felt thrilled about the result. It’s a good thing because she deserved it!

Forever Grateful

Her mother was so thankful that it turned out well this time. Kelsey started to feel more like her old self. Christin expressed her gratitude by saying, “I’d like to thank the ladies…for making my baby feel more like herself!” She went on, “We truly appreciate you ladies so much!”

Her Very Own Fairy Godmother

Christin knew that this would not have been possible without the help of Haylee Ann. It would not have been possible for Kelsey to have received such a pleasant experience if it were not her. Aside from that, she was the one who kept the fundraiser in check and showed them unwavering support, which proved vital when the situation with Schaffen escalated. She was not only a godmother to the teen, but she was basically a fairy godmother as well! She is the kind of person we all wish we had in our lives as children.

Happily Ever After

This happy ending did not fail to warm the hearts of every single person who became emotionally invested in the story. People continued to tune in as it unfolded. While we are sorry that such a traumatic thing happened to someone so young, we are glad that it brought out kindness from others.

Going Viral Again

After a few months, the post garnered nearly 5,000 likes and hundreds of shares and comments. A commenter told her, “You’re beautiful!” Clearly, the person who left the nice comment had good eyes. We are so glad that there were strong women who had this young girl’s back the entire time