Mom Pulls Daughter Out of Winter Concert After She's Bullied. Then She Receives Backlash from Her Family for Being 'Too Soft'
- - Mom Pulls Daughter Out of Winter Concert After She's Bullied. Then She Receives Backlash from Her Family for Being 'Too Soft'
Hannah SacksDecember 19, 2025 at 12:46 AM
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Stock photo of a mother comforting her daughter -
After her daughter was bullied during a dress rehearsal for a school concert, her mom pulled her out of the show
The mom explained that she didn't like seeing her daughter's joy of singing ruined by the torment she experienced
However, the woman received backlash from her family, with some telling her she was being too soft on her child
A mom isn't sure she did anything wrong when she receives backlash for pulling her daughter out of a winter concert, so she's turn to others for help.
The original poster (OP) explained her story on Reddit and said that her daughter loves to sing and put on concerts. "In my opinion which I know is incredibly biased I think she's a awesome singer," she wrote.
Every year, the mom then explained, her school has a concert where the kids put on a skit or sing Christmas carols, and parents can come watch. For the first three years of school, her daughter loved to participate.
But recently, OP picked up her daughter from school and noticed she seemed sad after their dress rehearsal. According to her teacher, the girl was been upset by how hot and crowded the gym was.
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Stock photo of a mother with her daughter
However, when they got into the car, her daughter explained that "every time she got off stage, kids from other classes were booing them" and laughing at them. At one point, one student told OP's daughter that "she was trying too hard."
OP countered by complimenting her daughter's singing skills and said that those kids were "just being mean and immature." When her daughter told her she didn't want to perform anymore, OP told her she didn't have to.
OP explained that she thinks singing should "be fun and enjoyable," not super stressful. She kept her daughter home on the day of the concert and "called it a mental health day." By the end of the day, her daughter back to her usual self and singing again.
But her in-laws and parents — who felt like they'd missed out on not getting to see her daughter perform — said OP was being "too soft" on her daughter. The mom was also told that her daughter wouldn't learn about perseverance if she was able to skip things whenever she wants.
However, OP said she's fighting with the school about the bullying, and working with her daughter to explain that negative comments don't reflect what she's done.
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Stock photo of a girl hugging her mom
In the comments, some told OP that she shouldn't have taken her daughter out of the concert. "Maybe it’s the Gen X in me, but I would have had her do it. We all have to do hard things in life. We all have to face ridicule," one person wrote. "We all have to face our fears."
"You’ve taught your daughter that it’s okay to run away and hide when things get difficult," they continued. "You let them dull her sparkle. I get it — I would have struggled with this decision. But I don’t think your decision helped your daughter in the long run."
Another suggested that OP made the right choice, but wouldn't allow their daughter to quit for a second time. "You’ve gotten a lot of praise so I’ll just add my quick thoughts. I think a one time thing like this is fine. She was stressed out and it’s a stressful time of year anyways with programs and busy schedules and sickness, etc," they said. "So giving some leeway when she felt pressure is a way to show her that you’re truly supportive and she can feel the safest with you."
"But I think there should be follow up. That this isn’t something we always do when we’re not feeling like everyone likes how we’re performing or if we aren’t the most confident," they continued. "We can’t always just quit. Or mom can’t always bail us out. I totally get this might be a bigger issue if there’s other bullying, but I think there needs to be some more resilience lesson built in if you already haven’t."
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Stock photo of a mom consoling her child
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However, a third said that OP did the right thing and that there should be a zero tolerance for bullying. "I have been a middle school teacher, an amateur actor, director in college, participated in many speech and debate competitions, and run them as an adult," they said. "There is zero tolerance for hecklers from every level of administration and educator or my kids, personal or professional don’t perform."
"In the real world, hecklers aren’t allowed at concerts or comedy shows, they are thrown out of plays and competitions," the user continued. "The social norm is to be polite and quiet during a performance and kind and supportive after. If I had been a teacher they would have been bounced out on their asses and I would have pushed for silent detention during the show. You taught her to hold a professional boundary."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
