Most of us remember our birthday parties when we were kids. Some of us had family there, while others just had a few friends. One 6-year-old wanted to celebrate with all 32 of his classmates.
Teddy, a 6-year-old from Arizona, didn’t want to go to Disney World or Legoland for his birthday party. Instead, he invited his whole class.
His mom, Sil Mazzini, made a reservation at Peter Piper Pizza in Tucson and gave the 32 invitations to his teacher two weeks before the party. The invites were given to the students in his class.
Sil said she had even gotten 15 RSVPs for her son’s big day. She had already paid for the pizza and put together the goodie bags, and she was looking forward to giving her son a memorable party.
But since none of Teddy’s classmates came, it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
The family waited for an hour, but no one came. Instead of leaving their son alone at his birthday table, they played arcade games and ate pizza to make the most of their trip.
Dad Ted Bollinger said it was sad for Teddy, but he got over it after they played games with him.
Bollinger told the New York Post, “I was really sad.” “Teddy’s classmates were the most important thing to him, so it was sad when they didn’t show up until an hour into the party.”
Sil’s heart was broken when their parents said they would be there but didn’t bring their kids to Teddy’s big day, even though they said they would.
The picture of her son Teddy sitting alone at his birthday table in front of half-eaten pizzas quickly went viral. It touched the hearts of thousands of people, and after a local news station shared her post, many people sent her gifts.
She also said that only one parent called after the incident to say sorry for not being there, but Teddy’s classmates apologized to him the next day at school.
After that, mom Sil said she was sorry she posted the picture because she didn’t know it would get so much attention. The responses were too much for the family to handle. And she didn’t like a second of the attention the post got.
She said that for Teddy’s seventh birthday, they wouldn’t have a party; instead, she would take him on a trip.
But because Teddy was upset, the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Rising MLS team invited him and his parents to their next games.
Teddy’s birthday was celebrated by many people, including the players. He was given a cake, and cheerleaders sang and waved at the six-year-old.
I think it was a good idea to bring attention to the fact that nobody cared enough about this little boy’s birthday to show up. This will remind people to be more thoughtful.
No child or parent should go through the heartbreak of seeing their child sitting alone on their birthday. I’m glad Teddy got some nice gifts for his birthday and that at least some of his classmates apologized.