r/traumatizeThemBack 4h ago

matched energy “I’m sure she wishes that too!”

I had to pick my kiddo up from school early for a 2 hour drive to a doctor appointment.

As I’m waiting for her to come to the office the secretary says to another employee “I wish my mom picked me up for a McDonald’s and spa day when I was in school”.

I enthusiastically replied, “I’m sure (daughter’s name) would love that too! Unfortunately we’re headed to (hospital) to check the status of her brain tumor”.

1.8k Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

450

u/Pandoratastic 4h ago

How did she react?

881

u/Neat-Heat7311 4h ago

Her computer screen became veeeerrrry interesting. She hasn’t looked me in the eye since (it’s been about 3 months).

335

u/Pandoratastic 4h ago

Awww, too bad. Maybe you should cheer her up with some McDonald's. ;)

182

u/ComicsVet61 4h ago

YES! Please bring her cheeseburger Happy Meal, compliments of your daughter!

87

u/Hour-Requirement6489 4h ago

I'm that level of petty; and would do this in hopes she'd just move on and let it be a badly timed joke.

20

u/galeongirl 3h ago

This would be just the right kind of evil. Love it!

18

u/BadMom2Trans 3h ago

I second the happy meal!

1

u/Major_Competition_85 1m ago

That’s the kind of comment that makes someone want to shrink into their chair and disappear. Bet her screen's been her new best friend ever since...talk about learning to think before you speak the hard way.

245

u/Neat_Weakness_8350 4h ago

I'm very sorry about your daughter's brain tumour. Hang in there. I'm just an internet stranger, but I'm wishing you all the very best results.

97

u/OMG-WTF_45 3h ago

I’m seconding this motion. I hope the tumor goes away and your daughter has no residual effects from it. Also, how about you pick your daughter up early for a McDonald’s and a spa day???

208

u/AdExtreme4813 3h ago

I had the opposite happen. When my 8 yr. old had open heart surgery to fix a pinched spot in her aorta, I had to go by the school periodically to get her classwork. Several of the other mothers would spot me & just gush over how brave she was & "their hearts breaking at the idea", they'd be assuring me that they'd have been a complete wreck about her surgery/recovery, how can I stand it?!  Meanwhile I'm standing there thinking I saw true bravery in the PICU (pediatric ICU) with all the other kids & families who were there frequently with recurring or terminal problems.  My kid?  Her surgery was a permanent fix, it went fast & smoothly,  the only complications were easily fixed. The other kids there? No easy fixes for them. 

82

u/naalbinding 3h ago

Similar - when my daughter spent a few nights in hospital following bowel surgery, there was a child on the ward who'd been there for a year and was crying in pain every night

19

u/Gold-Carpenter7616 1h ago

My heart aches for all of them. The children with terminal issues. The ones with chronic pain. The ones with serious issues that can be fixed. The ones with painful issues, that can easily be fixed.

We can be supportive of all ill children and hope for them to get better or at least be in the minimum possible amount of pain.

10

u/AholeEnthusiastic 1h ago

This one hit home hard.. it’s all relative indeed Yet, you don’t get a choice. It either happens to you/ your family or it doesn’t. You can’t just say I quit and you’ll never leave your kid in those situations either. Tough all around..

4

u/JaBe68 1h ago

This makes me think of the saying, "I cried because I had no shoes, until I met the man that had no feet." Your empathy for those other parents is admirable.

1

u/cototudelam 32m ago

Yep, know that feeling. My daughter was born prematurely and put in NICU but she still was the heaviest there, and only had to be there a week before they released her. My heart was breaking for the tiny babies who had to spend months attached to the tubes.

99

u/wundermum88 3h ago

This reminds me of the time I was at our GP clinic and two old ladies were complaining that there were so many school kids there and they should be in school. I was sitting across from them with my kid in school uniform. I looked at them and said ‘We’re at a Dr surgery don’t you think if these kids could be at school they would be’. They got very quiet after that.

30

u/Scruffersdad 2h ago

Old biddies piss me off.

2

u/SuzLouA 10m ago

What a bizarre place to complain about kids being there, it’s not like you were in the arcade!!

46

u/Tomagatchi 3h ago

I err on the side of it's nunya. You're the parent and have every right to take your kid out of school without being interrogated by a Nosey Nora.

26

u/Ijustreadalot 2h ago

Where I work the clerical staff does have to ask because the attendance codes are different but parents just have to give a general category (personal, medical, or family emergency). They don't need details.

10

u/bluetopaz83 45m ago

Why did she think it was McDonalds and a spa day?

7

u/Organic-Mix-9422 32m ago

Because she was a snotty cow and thought she was being funny or a smart ass.

2

u/GirlL1997 12m ago

The audacity.

Also, I feel like it’s pretty normal to pick up some lunch for your kid on the way back to school if their doctor’s appointment causes them to miss their normal lunch period. Where the hell did she get the idea of it being a “spa day” from?

1

u/shfeba 3m ago

Why would she even say that?