Kelsey Frederick was one of those children with divorced parents. Luckily, they always seemed to coordinate the birthday celebrations and never fought on her special day. This made Kelsey happy, but that all changed once she turned 13. Her world came crashing down around her, and she was sad and upset, wishing she had never been born. What could have caused such a turnaround?
Two Birthday Parties
Kelsey Frederick always seemed to get two birthday parties because her parents were divorced. However, her mom and dad wanted to throw a huge celebration this time because she was turning 13. She was very excited about the plans!

Two Birthday Parties
Turning 13
Kelsey hoped that this year would be better than all the rest. It was a special time in her life because she was turning 13 and becoming a young lady. Her parties had to reflect that, but what themes did her parents choose?

Turning 13
Getting Highlights
What made this birthday seem more special than the last? Her mom decided to allow Kelsey to get hair highlights for the very first time. Most girls her age were doing it, and Kelsey was dying to try the fad.

Getting Highlights
After the Salon
Once Kelsey finished at the salon, she went straight to her father’s house. It was the normal routine, so she never expected anything bad to happen. However, she had no idea what her dad would decide to do to her!

After The Salon
A Regular Tradition
Kelsey wasn’t in a unique situation because many children have divorced parents. However, the divorce contract stated that each person got to share equal time with their daughter. Therefore, she often alternated weekends with the parents.

A Regular Tradition
Always Had Fun
Since Kelsey was with a different parent every weekend, things were always exciting. She enjoyed going to baseball games to watch the fun while she was with her father and two younger brothers. It was always interesting!

Always Had Fun
The Divorce
Schaffen and Christin were Kelsey’s parents, and they divorced when she was young, so it was harder for her to understand. However, the situation didn’t affect her as much as you might think because she had a great support system of cousins and siblings.

The Divorce
The New Wife
Soon after their divorce, Kelsey’s dad found a new girlfriend and eventually married her. That wasn’t an issue, though, because Kelsey liked the woman. Having a stepmother didn’t affect how her biological parents chose to raise the children.

The New Wife
About Kelsey
Kelsey wasn’t like other girls her age and had different hobbies. This made it hard to choose presents for special occasions. However, her mom decided to talk to her daughter’s friends to get ideas that weren’t pink or sparkly!

About Kelsey
Taking a Lifetime
Most 12-year-old girls feel that it takes forever to become a teen, and Kelsey was no different. She counted down the days to her birthday just like others. Plus, she and her friends wasted no time, starting the planning process as soon as they could.

Taking A Lifetime
Birthday Highlights
Kelsey told her mom she wanted some highlights. Her goal was to add some blonde to her brown hair. It was a fairly normal request since other girls in the school were doing the same thing at the time. What did her mom say?

Birthday Highlights
A Worried Mother
Kelsey’s mother wasn’t prepared for such a drastic change. In fact, she worried that her daughter might be trying to go blonde because she had no self-esteem or didn’t like her appearance. It was a difficult decision, but she had to provide an answer fast.

A Worried Mother
Influenced
After thinking about her daughter’s request, Christin realized that she herself had wanted blonde highlights for a while and talked about it often. Maybe she had influenced her daughter to do the same thing!

Influenced
Mother-Daughter Bonding Session
Soon after that, Christin said it would be fine for Kelsey to get highlights on her birthday. Now, she had a plan and wanted to provide the royal treatment as the birthday present. They headed to the salon to get her hair done.

Mother Daughter Bonding Session
That’s Not All
Kelsey got a special birthday treat. Christin routinely went to the local salon, so the management offered a discount. Now, Kelsey could do her nails, too. She definitely left the place feeling like a beautiful princess.

That’s Not All
The Result
After the treatments, she took a look at herself in a mirror and noticed a shocking transformation. Those highlights made her look different, and she loved the new style. Christin also admitted that her daughter was breathtakingly gorgeous now.

The Result
Wait For It
Christin had one more surprise that Kelsey never saw coming. Though she got her nails and hair done, she also received a professional makeup job. They headed to Sephora to turn her into a queen.

Wait For It
Posting the Final Product
When Kelsey’s makeup was done, she took a photo of it, posting it on Facebook for her friends and family to see. Christin and Kelsey didn’t expect the reaction they got from one family member in particular.

Posting The Final Product
Time to Show Dad
Kelsey was usually excited to go to her dad’s, but this time, she was showing off her new hair and getting his honest opinion. She knew he supported her decisions, so she didn’t think this time would be different.

Time To Show Dad
Something Isn’t Right
Christin knew her daughter didn’t call during Kelsey’s dad’s weekend, but she woke up the next day and had a bad feeling. Something wasn’t right, but she tried to push it aside, waiting for her daughter to come back home.

Something Isn’t Right
Unrecognizable
Kelsey arrived back at her mom’s house, choosing to ring the doorbell. Christin opened the door, not recognizing her own daughter. Finally, she realized who it was. Kelsey had been crying, so her face was swollen, and she also had something missing!

Unrecognizable
What Happened
Upon closer inspection, Christin saw that the expensive highlights were now gone, but her gorgeous hair had disappeared, as well. Had Kelsey done this because she regretted the transformation, or did someone else do it to her beautiful daughter?

What Happened
A Chop Off
Kelsey’s hair was completely chopped off; there wasn’t much hair left at all. Later, Christin learned this was a “chop off” hairstyle. It was a boyish haircut with no styling done at all. This confused her immensely!

A Chop Off
A Sudden Change
Kelsey had gone from feeling comfortable and confident with herself to being embarrassed in just a few days. She started bawling every time she looked in the mirror. Christin had to know what had happened!

A Sudden Change
An Angry Mother
Christin couldn’t get her daughter to talk about anything. Therefore, she got in her vehicle and drove to her ex-husband’s house. In fact, she was so mad; she couldn’t think clearly. Once she got there, she demanded answers.

An Angry Mother
A Punishment
Kelsey showed off her new hairstyle, but her stepmother and father didn’t like it and thought they should punish her for doing it. They believed that blonde highlights weren’t appropriate for a 12/13-year-old girl, so her actions required consequences.

A Punishment
Taste of Their Own Medicine
Christin decided that her ex-husband and Sarah (his new wife) were right. In fact, actions should have consequences. Therefore, she called the police because Kelsey’s haircut was done without her consent or permission, and they had to be taught a lesson.

Taste Of Their Own Medicine
Taking to Facebook
Christin was livid and felt helpless. Her daughter’s hair was now gone, and she couldn’t do anything about it. That’s why she took to Facebook to let out her frustrations. She wrote a post that detailed what her ex and his new wife did.

Taking To Facebook
A Viral Post
Christin never expected her Facebook post to go viral, though it did exactly that. She just wanted her friends and family to validate her feelings that her ex-husband’s behavior was totally unreasonable. However, it got more attention than she could have imagined.

A Viral Post
Outrage
The post was actually shared over 24,000 times. People shared their outrage about what Kelsey’s father did without hesitation. Facebook users held nothing back about this radical decision, and it gave Christin hope.

Outrage
Support from Strangers
Christin’s Facebook post got overwhelming amounts of support, which showed her just how wrong her daughter’s father’s actions had been. Most people said it was disgusting and ridiculous! However, we wonder what Kelsey thought of it all!

Support From Strangers
Too Much Attention
Kelsey didn’t really like all the attention she got from the Facebook post. She was dealing with her personal embarrassment over the haircut and also dealing with other people bringing it up and staring at it. How did the middle schooler cope with it?

Too Much Attention
Like Everything Was Normal
Kelsey’s father, stepmother, and younger brothers all lived their lives normally. Meanwhile, she was hurting. Clearly, she felt angry, betrayed, and humiliated by what they’d done. As a slap in the face, they thought they were right!

Like Everything Was Normal
Opinions
Her mom’s Facebook post brought up different opinions. Jennifer McVay was a hairstylist at Pear Tree Salon and said that having good hair leads to feeling good. The girl was probably embarrassed by what her father did.

Opinions
Mixed Feelings
Most people said they could understand why the father was outraged since he didn’t know the makeover was going to happen. Still, that didn’t excuse what he did. It was cruel, heartless, and humiliating. If he loved his daughter, he wouldn’t want her to feel embarrassed.

Mixed Feelings
Raising Awareness
Christin used the attention she got from her Facebook post to raise money for her daughter’s new hair treatment. She created her GoFundMe account to get contributions from readers. However, no one knew if it would work out.

Raising Awareness
Moving Away from Embarrassment
Christin liked to update people about the story and her daughter’s progress. She continued living life, even with a haircut she didn’t want or ask for. However, she couldn’t hide away in her bedroom forever!

Moving Away From Embarrassment
Administrative Leave
Soon after the viral Facebook post, Schaffen and Sarah experienced adverse effects because of their actions. They were both suspended from their firefighter duties. In fact, The Middletown Township fire department didn’t want those types of people on the team.

Administrative Leave
Consequences for Their Actions
With the social media attention, the local authorities stepped in and investigated the matter. They decided to give full custody to Christin. In fact, that relieved Kelsey immensely because the relationship she’d had with her dad was now tarnished, and she couldn’t look at him.

Consequences For Their Actions
GoFundMe Success
The GoFundMe campaign was successful, too. Kelsey went back to the salon she used for the highlights and got a wig to wear until her hair grew back. She was very grateful to have her mother’s support and those who contributed to the account.

GoFundMe Success