A Texas mother, who posted pictures of her young son who has Down syndrome on Instragram, had the social media world abuzz Wednesday with her response to an alleged ‘troll.’
Megan Mennes is a Houston mother and teacher writes regularly on her blogsite Define Crazy: Balancing my role as mother, wife, teacher and rebel
She is particularly proud of her young son, Quinn, and his battle with his disability. She has posted many photos of the happy child with a beautiful smile.
Last week, Quinn was recovering from an illness and Mennes took photos of him as he happily played in the backyard and posted them on Instragram. Little could she have anticipated that the photos would elicit a cruel response from a so-called internet troll.
The person left a one-word comment on the photo – Ugly.
Mennes was quick to respond.
"I don't want to make assumptions about you, but I can guess from your immaturity and ignorance that you know little about the helplessness that parents feel when caring for a sick infant with respiratory issues," she wrote on her blogsite. "Quinn was sick last week, but was feeling much better by Friday. We decided to sit in the backyard and soak up the sun after school. There aren't many things in this world more beautiful than seeing your recently-ill child light up in a smile, and I snapped a few photos to celebrate his recovery, then posted them on Instagram with the hashtag "#downsyndrome."
“I love to look through those photos myself in my spare time because damn if those kiddos aren’t adorable. Of course, you feel differently because you found this photo and left a comment with one simple word: Ugly.”
“The fact that you find my child ugly is one thing. You are entitled to your opinion. But the fact that you intentionally search #downsyndrome to find pictures to insult (sadly, Quinn is not the only victim of your behavior; I came across many other inflammatory responses) is both childish and sad.”
Mennes searched the so-called troll’s site and what she found infuriated her.
“Your profile is also full of offensive posts and crude statements, all of which point to your own illiteracy. In one such photo, featuring two kids with Down syndrome and the word “wiitard,” you get bent out of shape because many, MANY people called you on you prejudice,” she wrote. “You claim it was a joke and that people should lighten up. But what about purposefully seeking out pictures of our children?”
She finished the blog entry by signing off “A Proud Mama.”
There has been a groundswell of support for Mennes and she wrote Wednesday thanking all for their kind words.