Many were left questioning how the project made it through the planning stages without raising concerns, especially given the age of the children involved.
The young girl’s Father’s Day gift to her dad left him (and the rest of the family) speechless by its inappropriate nature, though some on the internet think it’s all a storm in a teacup, too.
To make matters worse, the gift’s problematic nature was particularly pertinent to tragedies from the family’s past.
The situation quickly escalated, drawing attention from the local community and the internet, prompting a swift response from school officials.
A Fathers’ Day gift gone wrong
Father’s Day is traditionally a time for children to show appreciation for their dads with handmade cards and thoughtful gifts.
Schools often organize craft activities to help young students create meaningful presents.
Trent Howard, from Perth, Australia, received a printed activity dice as a present from his six-year-old child, which was meant to uplift his spirits.
On each side of the die, there was a food or item suggestion for the day that was supposed to help cheer the recipient up.
For example, one side showed a banana ‘for the days when you have gone round the bend.’
However, one of the suggestions left Howard absolutely gobsmacked.
Shocked father shares his story
In an interview with 9News, the dad said: “I have a weird sense of humor, [but] that’s not part of any sense of humor to anybody.”
Howard’s wife, Renea, also told the outlet that a teacher explained to her that it was meant to be a joke.
She added: “They wanted to be funny, that was my interpretation of what the teacher had said to me. It wasn’t funny. It’s really not appropriate for kids to be given that kind of topic in a joking manner without any support around it.”
The internet has been left outraged.
“This is sick,” one person commented.
Another wrote, “I’m not soft. I have a dark sense of humor, but honestly, this is too far.”
A third added: “This is disgusting. You never know how people are feeling. Totally insensitive.”
School forced to speak out
Following the incident, the Department of Education spoke to 9News and said that the activity was ‘clearly not thought through’ and ‘showed a serious lack in judgment.’
The school has apologized and vowed that the activity will never be done again.
Why the gift has been labeled ‘disgusting’
Howard was given a printed activity die by his six-year-old child as a thoughtful gift to lift his spirits.
Each side of the die featured a different food or activity suggestion for the day, intended to help brighten the recipient’s mood.
Shockingly, one of the options allegedly suggested: “A bullet to take when all else fails.”
The Howard family has since complained to the school about the gift, as they say it ‘promotes s**cide.’
Perth-born psychologist and counselor Bailey Bosch has warned that incidents like this could have wide-ranging impacts on both adults and children.
She explained: “Children can take things very literally, it can play on their minds, they might not have the language to articulate what’s distressing them.”
The psychologist added that some adults could also be ‘completely triggered’ by words such as bullets.