Meet Brody Ridder, a cool 12-year-old who’s all about chess, fencing, and dinosaurs. He’s a smart and funny kid, but the friend scene at school is a bit tricky. In sixth grade at The Academy of Charter Schools in Westminster, Colorado, Brody often sits alone during lunch and recess. His interests, like chess, fencing, and dinosaurs, don’t click with his classmates.
Some kids tease him about his ears and weight, leaving him in tears almost every day when he gets home. This is a tough time for a rad kid like Brody.
His mom, Cassandra Ridder, is a 31-year-old who worries about her son. She tries to cheer him up. One day, she got an email from the school saying that the students would be bringing their yearbooks home. She thought it would be a nice way for Brody to remember his classmates and get some kind words from them.
But when she picked him up from school, she saw that he was not happy. He was listening to music and didn’t want to talk. She asked him about his yearbook and if he got lots of signatures. He burst into tears.
“He said that he’d asked the kids in his class if they would sign his yearbook, and some flat-out said no,” Ridder revealed. “A couple of his classmates jotted down their names, but there were no messages. There was nothing about how smart, funny, and awesome he is.”
He gave his mom the yearbook, and she looked at it. Her heart broke when she saw what Brody had written to himself. It said, “I hope you make some more friends,” and he signed his own name.
Cassandra was angry and sad. She couldn’t believe how mean the kids were to her son, so she wanted to do something to help him. That night, she posted on the school’s Facebook page for parents. She told them what had happened and how shattered she was.
“My poor son. It doesn’t seem like things are getting any better. 2 teachers and a total of 2 students wrote in his yearbook. Despite Brody asking all kinds of kids to sign it,” Ridder wrote. “So Brody took it upon himself to write to himself. My heart is shattered. Teach your kids kindness.”
She didn’t expect much from it, but she hoped that some parents would see it and talk to their kids.
The next day, she got a text from Brody. He sent her a picture of his yearbook. It was full of messages and signatures. He said, “Facebook this.”
She was amazed. She saw that kids from different grades had written to Brody. They had written nice things about him and how much they liked him. Some of them even gave him their phone numbers so he could text them.
“Hey dude, you’re freaking awesome. Stay that way.”
“Brody, you are the kindest little kid. You are so loved. Don’t listen to the kids that tell you different.”
“Brody, I hope you have an amazing summer! You’re worth it, and you matter!”
“Hey buddy, never change; never put your head down.”
She also saw that some of the kids who had refused to sign his yearbook before had changed their minds and signed it now.
She was so happy for her son. She called him and asked him how he felt. He said, “This is the best day ever.” Besides, he’s already talking about how excited he is for seventh grade.
“He’s on cloud nine,” Ridder said.
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