The new-age children’s wishes are sometimes bringing surprise to us when those letters contain wishes just more than toys, dresses, etc. Sometimes they surprise us with some unusual wishes. This is one such story of the year 2013.
When Karen Suffern, from Rocky Mount, N.C. asked her 8-year-old twin children -Ryan and Amber-to write a letter to Santa, she was shocked with their response.
To her surprise, in his letter, Ryan had asked Santa to stop kids at school from bullying his sister. Amber was a third-grade girl who faced bullies every day. Karen expected that her twins would ask for usual toys, books, clothes, etc.
In his first wish, Ryan had written, “Dear Santa… I wanted a [remote control] car and helicopter, but I don’t want that any mor. Kid at school are still picking on Amber and its not fair because she doesnt do anything to them…,. “I prayed that they will stop but god is bisy and needs your help. Is it against the rules to give the gift early?” he wrote.
(Forget the spelling mistakes. After all, he is a cute little child)
In his second wish he wrote, “Can you ask Big Time Rush to come to Amber’s birthday party? It will make her so happy. If you can’t get them to come but just get her everything she asks for. Thanks, Santa,”
Amber was a fan of the band Big Time Rush which was famous in New York City.
Karen said, “Ryan handed me his and told me not to read it so of course, I read it to find out what he wanted,” “That’s when I realized and thought, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”
When Karen posted the letter to her Facebook page to share with family and a few close friends, they made it viral across the globe. People were touched by Ryan’s words. “It’s amazing and overwhelming at the same time,” Karen said.
When ‘Good Morning America’ saw his letter, they called Karen and her twins. One of his requests was fulfilled that day by “Good Morning America”.
When they sat with Josh Elliott who was the co-anchor of Good Morning America, Amber explained how kids at school pick on her but said she didn’t know why.
In the interview, Amber told Elliott, “They say I’m fat. I’m stupid. I’m ugly. And I’m hideous. I don’t really believe them,”
When Ryan said he wished kids would bother him instead of his sister, she told, “You don’t have to do that” “Yes, I do,” he intervened. Amber said Ryan is a fun, active, and protective brother. That’s why she was touched by his letter to Santa.
Meanwhile, to their surprise, Big Time Rush was waiting for them to surprise her as an early birthday present, just what Ryan wished for. Amber was serenaded with a special performance by her favorite band Big Time Rush. It brought a much-needed smile to her face. They were also invited as VIP guests at a weekend concert in New York City.
Now about bullying: Karen was already aware that her daughter was bullied at school and it broke her heart. “She would tell me things that kids would say at school,” Karen explained. “They would egg her on to do different things: she would crawl on the floors on a bus. You know, she would eat things off the chairs…It hurt me because I’m like, ‘I hope she’s not feeling how I used to feel when I was her age’? And it was a pattern.”
Karen was also bullied in her childhood. In a recent conversation with Amber, she said: “sometimes I just feel like I wanna die so they’ll leave me alone.” That’s the time Karen decided that it must end.
“As soon as those words came out of her mouth, I literally felt my heart stop,” Karen said, getting emotional. “I told her I would do everything I could to protect her.”
Karen said Amber was suffering from ADHD, depression, and mood disorder. Because of Ryan’s letter, Karen was allowed to start a dialogue with her children’s school, which made things better for Amber.
Karen said, “The school has been in touch and they’re making sure my daughter feels comfortable and safe. They moved her on the bus because about 98 percent of the bullying takes place on the bus. She’s now sitting with her cousin who’s much older than Amber is”.
“Today and yesterday she didn’t wake up begging me to let her stay home, so I guess that’s a good sign,” Karen said.
This shows how a rightly motivated letter of a little one could make a big impact.
