For many people, especially children, celebrating a birthday is the most memorable time of the year. You get presents and, if you’re lucky, a party just for you. On Kelsey Frederick’s thirteenth lap around the sun, she was looking forward to officially becoming a teenager and celebrating twice. Her parents were divorced, so she had something special planned with her mom and something else with her dad. But things didn’t turn out as anyone in the family imagined.
Two Birthday Parties for a Teenager Girl
As Kelsey Frederick was about to turn a special age, she knew two birthday parties were coming her way (one with each parent).
She was going to turn 13 on her birthday (finally a teenager). She has gotten used to the tradition of celebrating two birthdays.
A Special Birthday
Kelsey was finally going to become a teenager and wanted this birthday to be a stand out from all the rest.
She wanted her birthday party to reflect her transition. A sleepover with a few of her best friends sounded like a good idea, right?
Getting Highlights Like Other Girls
Although the birthday was really special for Kelsey, it was even more special for her because she was having highlights in her hair.
As a lot of girls at school were getting highlights, Kelsey’s mother decided she was going to paying for the highlights of her daughter.
Off to Her Father’s Place
After Kelsey spent time in the salon all glamming up, she headed to her dad’s house.
However, no one knew at that time what her father’s reaction would be after seeing his daughter.
She’s Not Alone
Like Kelsey, there are countless young people who have two families. This means she gets to spend ample time with each parent.
According to the divorce contract, both father and mother get an equal amount of time with their precious daughter. And they were absolutely fine with it.
Enjoying a Great Time
Things never get boring for Kelsey as she spends each weekend with a different parent.
She really enjoys going to baseball games with her dad. Her two younger brothers also always join the mix.
A Beautiful Mother-Daughter Relationship
Just like many young kids, Kelsey has a beautiful relationship with her mother. The mother-daughter due enjoys every minute together.
Although Christin and Kelsey do not live together, they are basically like the best of friends.
An Inseparable Bond
This is the kind of relationship that every girl dreams of having with her mother. Kelsey feels super comfortable in sharing everything with her mother.
We are certain Kelsey feels super lucky to have such a caring & loving mother who is always there for her.
A Different Kind of Relationship With Dad
It is fair to say that both father and daughter get along with each other well, but the relationship is not the same.
It is because Schaffen does not seem to really care about her stories of youth. Maybe that’s why Kelsey likes spending more time with her mother than her father.
A Parents’ Decision That Could’ve Changed Her Life
When Kelsey was young, her parents decided to part ways. Although this decision was very hard on the young Kelsey, it didn’t have a great effect on her life.
It is because she has a big family and she was always surrounded by siblings and cousins. It can be said that the divorce could’ve affected her a lot if there wasn’t great support for her.
An Athletic Girl
She has been into sports since she was a little kid. Although big changes occurred in her life, she continued doing what she loves.
Her parents were careful enough to ensure that her life doesn’t change as much even after the divorce.
An Agreement Made By Both Parents
Kelsey is very lucky as her parents maintain a good relationship even after the divorce. Her parents went into an agreement on how they should raise their daughter.
In order to discipline and raise Kelsey, her parents sat down and made a set of rules and guidelines both agreed to follow.
A Family Visit to Lake Erie Every Month
Kelsey’s parents took their daughter to Lake Erie and she really enjoyed it. All three of them had a really fun outing.
Upon seeing a happy Kelsey, her parents decided to take her to nearby Lake Erie every month and they did not make changes in this tradition.
Found New Love
It wasn’t long after divorce when Kelsey’s father went into a romantic relationship with another woman.
She was a colleague of his at the fire station. Kelsey was fine with it and she actually liked his father’s girlfriend a lot.
Getting Married
Kelsey’s father soon proposed to his newly found love and the two got married at the local courthouse. She was really happy for her father.
Although the couple decided to dress up for the occasion, they decided to forego an expensive ceremony.
A Good Deal
Schaffen’s new wife was a good lady and Kelsey really liked her as well.
It was decided that there won’t be any issue as long as she or their relationship did not interfere with how both parents had decided to raise their daughter.
Everything Would Remain The Same
An agreement was made that they would continue parenting their daughter as decided and nothing would change.
Kelsey was perfectly fine with this idea. In fact, she was really happy for her father.
Growing Up Among Strong Women
Kelsey is very lucky as she grew up among some really strong-willed women. Ever since she was a child, they have constantly helped and groomed her.
Her godmother Haylee Ann played a really important part in Kelsey’s life and her Aunt Kelly served as a second mother to her.
Numerous Maternal Figures in Life
Kelsey’s godmother and aunt were always there for her. They never failed to give her advice whenever she needed one.
Both gave young Kelsey new perspectives with their experiences. As a result, Kelsey was not threatened by her stepmom.
Close Proximity
Kelsey was indeed very lucky that her father and his new wife lived in Fostoria, Ohio and so did her mother.
Due to their close proximity, all three were able to make her birthday one to remember.
Not Like Other Girls
As it is difficult to pick a gift for a teenager, it used to get more challenging to pick a gift for Kelsey.
Her hobbies were different than other girls of her age. Hence, it was always difficult to pick a practical gift for her.
Just One Simple Request
Kelsey wasn’t a lot into stuff that most girls of her age like. Hence, she made a simple request: no glitz, please.
She didn’t want any of her gifts to be too pink or sparkly. Her mother helps friends and family in picking gifts she would love.
A Different Kind of Girl
Unlike most girls, Kelsey was into softball and really loved to fish with her cousins. She was the kind of girl who liked to be prepared for everything.
She already had everything softball game requires and she even had the fishing gear fully prepared.
An Expensive Mia Hamm Jersey
For a quite number of years, Kelsey wanted a Mia Hamm jersey. But the issue was that they were way too expensive.
Both Christin and Schaffen couldn’t afford the jersey. So, they had to think of something that was more in their budget.
Counting the Days
For Kelsey, it seemed like the time was moving at a snail’s pace. It is common for a girl of her age to think like that.
As she was counting down days until she officially becomes a teenager, she and her friends from school started to search for cool party ideas on the internet.
Time Flies
Christin couldn’t believe that her daughter has grown up so quickly. It only seemed like yesterday when she came into this world.
Christin was surprised and excited to see that her daughter was turning 13 soon.
Her Birthday, Her Choice
Given that this birthday has its own significance for young Kelsey, her mother wanted to pick a special gift for her.
Christin wanted to give her daughter an opportunity to choose whatever she wanted.
A Beautiful Princess
Like most girls of her age, Kelsey really loved to do hair and makeup. In fact, she really loved going to weddings as it meant she could be all glamorous for the big event.
Christin knew her daughter really loved makeup, but she didn’t expect what Kelsey asked of her.
Highlights as a Birthday Present
Kelsey knew what she wanted; she said to her mother “Mom, I want to get highlights for my 13th birthday”.
Young Kelsey wanted to spice up her brown hair with some blonde highlights. How did her mother respond to her request?
A Worried Mother
Although it was a normal looking request, it made her mother started to worry about her princess.
Christin was worried because she thought her daughter wasn’t confident the way she looked.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Christin knew that she had been getting highlights even long before her daughter was born.
Perhaps, Kelsey was influenced by her mother and that’s why Christin decided to not worry about it anymore.
Finding a Solution
As Kelsey’s hair had darkened over the years, she wanted highlights. People get highlights all the time and it was not a big deal.
Christin knew that she could not refuse her daughter’s wish now. So, she knew what needed to be done.
A Great Daughter
Although it was Kelsey’s birthday, that wasn’t the only reason for her mother to comply.
Her mother complied because Kelsey is a great daughter and a role model for her 3 younger brothers.
A Bonding Session Between Mother & Daughter
Christin wanted to make sure that this turns out to be a memorable experience for her daughter.
Hence, she decided to spend time with her daughter at the salon to turn it into mother-daughter time.
Getting Nails Done As Well
Christin has been getting her hair done at the local salon for years. The salon also offers massages, manicures, and pedicures.
Given that Christin was such a loyal customer of the salon, they decided to give her a nice discount for Kelsey’s highlights and nails.
Matching Nails
The bonding sessions worked out so well between mother and daughter that it ended up with them getting matching nails.
Kelsey didn’t know that something else was about to happen. She was as clueless as you are right now!
Playing the Waiting Game
Both mother and daughter anxiously waited for the transformation. They spent a whole day relaxing.
Finally, Christin showed Kelsey the mirror. Well, they both were in for a huge surprise.
Unbelievable Transformation
Kelsey was in sheer awe once she looked at herself in the mirror. The highlights really changed her entire look.
Even Christin couldn’t believe how her little princess had an entirely changed look.
Another Surprise for Her Daughter
Kelsey was already happy with her highlights, but she didn’t know that her mother had another surprise up her sleeves.
Christin took her daughter for her makeup to a makeup superstore that was none other than the Sephora!
Bliss
As a proud and happy mother, Christin wasted no time in taking a photo of her daughter and uploading it on social media for their friends and family to see.
Both mother and daughter did not know how a certain someone reacted to this photo at that time.
Going to Dad’s Place
Although Kelsey was really excited to show her new look to all her friends, they had to stop at her dad’s place first.
He was also waiting to shower his love for his princess, but he knew that he had to wait a little bit.
Dad’s Turn to Spend Time With Kelsey
Christin knew the routine and was happy to send her daughter over to her ex-husband.
As planned, Kelsey was going to spend an entire week at her father’s home.
Something Doesn’t Feel Right
Kelsey usually stopped using her phone whenever she used to spend time with her father. It is because she wanted to spend most of her time with each parent.
However, Christin woke up the next morning with the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
Convincing Herself
Although Christin tried her best to convince herself that nothing was wrong, but who can question the mother’s instincts, right?
The only thing that was making her feel relaxed was that Kelsey would be coming back to her that day.
Unrecognizable Kelsey
Christin was anxiously waiting for her daughter to come home. When Kelsey finally rang the bell, her mother couldn’t recognize her at first glance.
Kelsey’s face was all puffy and swollen from crying. But something else was off!
Figuring Out the Exact Reason
Christin started to think of different possible reasons behind her daughter’s swollen face.
Was she hurt? Had she gotten into an argument with her stepmother? Or did her father got into an accident? A million wild reasons raced through her mind.
Something Wasn’t Right
Christin noticed that there was something off with Kelsey’s hair. It looked completely different than it did a few days ago.
She was still trying to figure out what exactly has happened to her daughter.
A Change of Mind
Christin was horrified to see that her daughter’s expensive highlights were gone and her beautiful locks vanished into thin air as well.
As a mother, she was thinking of all possible scenarios. She even thought that maybe her daughter changed her mind.
“Chop Off”
Kelsey’s beautiful locks were completely butchered away during the weekend.
Christin asked a professional hairstylist and the comments were: “what they did to that poor child, it’s a “chop off”, it’s a boyish cut with no styling whatsoever”.
Embarrassed Kelsey
As Christin was desperately trying to figure out what exactly happened, Kelsey wasn’t telling her anything as well.
Poor Kelsey was hiding her face with her hands. She was humiliated.
Self-Esteem Destroyed
Just a few days ago, she was feeling like the most confident girl in the world. After getting her hair chopped off, she could not even look in the mirror.
Her self-esteem took a major blow and she was traumatized by it. Christin knew that she had to find the reason behind all this.
Livid Mother
Christin tried her best to make her daughter talk to her. As she failed in doing that, she got in the car and drove to Schaffen’s place.
She was furious at Schaffen as she could not believe he could do something like this to her.
Confronting Schaffen
When Christin reached her ex-husband’s home, she sprinted to the door and started shouting at Schaffen and his wife.
She was fuming as she could not believe how her ex-husband let that happen to their daughter.
Punsihed!
Christin couldn’t believe what she heard when her husband told her that “actions have consequences.”
Apparently, the couple did not stand her new hairstyle and thought the highlights were too precarious for her age.
Going to the Police
Christin wanted to show her ex-husband that “actions do have consequences.” She went straight to the police.
The chief said “the mother was upset at how her child was being cared for. The haircut was done against the child’s wishes under the direction of the girl’s father and stepmother”.
Snatching Her Smile Away
Christin was too upset as her smiling daughter was not smiling anymore. It is totally unacceptable under any case.
As a mother, Christin just couldn’t stand the gloomy look on her daughter’s face.
Letting the World Know About It
Christin wanted to teach her husband a lesson and took out her frustration by sharing the entire story on the internet.
She wanted to let her ex know that actions can have such humiliating consequences.
A Kind and Sensitive Person
Christin couldn’t believe that her ex could do something this cheap. Hence, the internet was a great way to shame her ex.
She wanted to let the world know how her ex inflicted so much pain on a kind and sensitive girl.
Going Viral
All Christin wanted was to blow off some steam and let her friends and family validate that Schaffen behaved unreasonably.
It wasn’t Christin’s intentions to show the true face of her ex to the world, but the internet had other plans.
Well, That Escalated Quickly
What Christin didn’t expect was an overwhelming response from the people. The post reached a lot of people in a short amount of time.
People spoke out at seeing how the actions of her ex had such a negative effect on a happy girl.
People Were Outraged
The post was shared 24,000 times by people on Facebook and in just one week it received 33,000 reactions.
The online users wanted their voices to be heard and they did not hold back. Below is one such example of how an online used expressed their views on it.
A Little Too much to Handle
For Kelsey, it was overwhelming to deal with the questions asked at her mother’s post and also at the school.
It was a little too much for the girl to handle. After all, she is only 13 years old!
Support from Strangers
Christin only wanted support from her friends and family and she was not expecting this much support from strangers.
People were outraged at the actions of Schaffen and his partner and labeled it as “disgusting” and “ridiculous.”
Take Action Now
Although neither Christin nor Kelsey wanted the pictures to make rounds on the internet, they did create a new sense of awareness.
One person left this comment: “What a cruel thing for a parent to do to their child. So sorry that happened…beautiful no matter what!”
Dealing With School Woes
Kelsey was not prepared to handle all that was going on. And she was not ready to show her face in the hallway at school.
Although she received a lot of support from everyone, it was understood that a teenager was finding it hard to deal with it.
Like Nothing Has Happened
What really infuriated everyone was that Kelsey dad and stepmom went about their daily life as if nothing has happened.
Kelsey was hurt and betrayed because her father showed no remorse at all.
And There Were Theories and Speculations as Well
As expected, people were really critical about what Schaffen did. However, there were speculations as well.
Some people believed that only a compulsive and controlling person could do something like that.
Everyone Had An Opinion
As everyone can share their opinion, a lot of people shared what they thought of this entire incident.
One commenter said: “I think the daughter was unfortunately in the middle of a get back at you between both parents fighting.”
Feeling Embarrassed
As we know that girls, especially teenagers, really love their hair. Losing them can really make them feel humiliated.
The 27 years old hair stylist of Pear Tree Salon, Jennifer McVay, shared her thoughts on the incident: “Your hair is what really makes you feel good. If your hair looks good, you feel good. She had beautiful long hair, that beautiful little girl is now walking around embarrassed”.
Some Lines Should Never Be Crossed
The 27 years old hair stylist was very critical of Kelsey’s father. She also said another person to blame was the one who was holding the scissors.
Jennifer McVay couldn’t come up with an explanation of why anyone would want to humiliate their daughter.
The Issue with The Highlights
There were mixed feelings shown by people who have children of their own.
It is easy to see that some parents would be upset to see if their daughter got a makeover without even telling them, but this doesn’t mean they should react like the way Kelsey’s father reacted.
Concerns Grew
While some people believed that Kelsey was too young to put dyes on her hair, others thought that using wash-out hairspray or wigs would’ve been better.
The most unsettling thing was the chopped hair as it raised concerns among people.
Sympathy Shown By Others
People on the internet understood how the girl was feeling. Some people showed sympathy for Christin and Kelsey.
Kelsey took comfort in the kind words of people who were unknown to her. She could not believe that strangers understood her better than her father.
Making Up For It
After the story of Kelsey got so much attention, her mother decided she could use this attention to make things easier for her daughter.
Christin created an account on GoFundMe and asked readers to donate money for her daughter’s new hair treatment. At that time, she did not know that it would work.
Updating Everyone
Christin was surprised at the response given by the people. She was happy that people were really supportive of Kelsey.
In this post below, she tried to update people with all the recent developments.
She Started to Face the World
Kelsey was still trying to come out of all this and she started showing great signs. She no longer hid her face.
She started to do things that she enjoyed. Christin enjoyed letting the world know how brave her daughter is.
Moving On
People were happy to see the teenager playing softball and going on fishing trips with her cousins.
It was really brave of her to move on after such a traumatizing event. After all, she didn’t ask for any of this to happen.
Strong Support
People drew inspiration from the teenager because the way she handled everything was commendable.
Her team also showed a lot of support, which really helped her. However, she and her mother did not know about the drama that was going to unfold.
Press and Police Getting Involved
Some people thought that there were signs of parental abuse. Hence, authorities were in the mix.
Fox8 interviewed Police Chief Colby Carroll on this matter. What would he say?
A Unique Case
According to the police officer, it was the first time he encountered a case like this one.
“I’ve been doing this since ’92 and I’ve never had a case I would say that’s like this,” said the police officer.
Administrative Leave
As expected, authorities knocked on Schaffen’s door. He received a suspension from his firefighting duties at the Middletown Township fire department.
Schaffen was placed on administrative leave as the department didn’t want people like him working for them.
Actions have Consequences
There was an investigation in which everything was thoroughly inspected. The judges came to the conclusion that the couple needed to pay a price for their actions.
Some people considered it a criminal offense and wanted a more severe punishment while some argued that they got more than what they deserved.
Justice Served!
Like the couple said earlier that “actions have consequences,” it was only fitting to have this result.
Although the investigation was over, the family drama wasn’t over yet.
A Big Court Decision
After seeing all that happened, the authorities decided to grant Christin fully custody of their daughter.
She posted 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
Christin was really relieved to have full custody. But she did acknowledge that her daughter had to pay a big sacrifice for it.
“A huge weight has been lifted off of everyone’s shoulders and we cannot be any [happier]!!” Although Christin and Kelsey were both happy and relieved about how it turned out, Kelsey had to pay a rather big sacrifice,” she said.
Aunt Kelly Helping Kelsey
Kelsey was not able to get her belongings from her father’s house as she was legally removed from it. Also, she did not want to go there as it would mean facing her father and stepmom.
Aunt Kelly created an account on GoFundMe to raise money to help Kelsey live a normal life again.