I Got Trolled By a Facebook Group and it Was Hilarious
I never imagined they’d turn against me, but also glad they did
For starters, perhaps you’re thinking — who still uses Facebook?
ME! There are multiple ways in which I like to utilise the platform, but without diving deep into them, one of the reasons is a Facebook group called, “Help with House Plants.”
The group is filled with thousands of kindred spirits who like to share their knowledge and wisdom about houseplants — especially for the distressed indoor gardeners who seek answers!
You see, as a relatively new plant mom, I am still learning the art of keeping my houseplants thriving and it’s certainly not that simple. But with timely guidance from the members of the group, I am fairing decently well. I’d even give full credit to some of them that a couple of my plants are seeing the light of the day today!
In doing so, interestingly, the algorithm keeps showing so much more content relating to all things “beautiful” house plants by the day that I have been (willingly) influenced to add a new plant or two in my cart every time I go shopping.
But living in a foreign country where everything is written in a language that I do not speak or read, I have often turned to the group to get answers to simple questions like identifying my plant.
I am well aware there’s google lens and other apps that can do the needed job for you, but I do enjoy getting help from fellow plant lovers and so do they enjoy talking about it as well. After all, gotta keep the community spirit going, isn’t it?!
So obviously, the other day when I had the misfortune of witnessing the absolute wreckage my girls inflicted upon my beloved monstera — cutting off all her glorious leaves, I jumped onto the group to seek refuge and find if there was still any way I could still salvage my plant.
Just so you know, this plant has been my pride and joy — the one that I not just had been relishing growing but also using as a prop for my photography needs, as you can see in the picture above, haha! My monstera served me in more ways than uncurling her gloriously beautiful leaves.
Anyway, so I posted the question “My three-year-old cut off all the leaves of my monstera, what do I do now?!”, and then closed the app, kept the phone on the kitchen counter, and forgot all about it.
You see, the leaves were cut into countless little pieces that had been scattered all over my precious new jute rug, the couch, the coffee table, both armchairs, inside their kids’ tent, and about every other accessible place in the living room. I had some serious clean-up awaiting me!
Half an hour later, with cleaning nowhere nearly even started — why thank you overwhelm! — I opened the Facebook app on my phone only to find more-than-usual notifications. I was taken aback by surprise with the engagement rate on my post in such a short period — 43 reactions (most of them sad or shock face emojis) and close to 30 comments!
Oh dear, all these people are empathising with me and want to help — I thought, feeling all mushy.
Boy, was I wrong! Another wave of shock quickly followed as I scrolled through the comments.
Holy guacamole, I just got proper trolled!
The comments read as follows:
Re-home the child
Google the closest affordable boarding school, enroll them immediately
Up his rent to buy another ;)
Get rid of the three-year-old, it’s not too late. And find the best solution to repairing that baby!
I’d hang this over his head for the rest of his life
Chop off their hair
Throw the kid away, duh! Man, I know all 3 of my kids would be packing, lol just kidding
Did you keep a receipt for the child, I’d get a refund
Time to throw the whole kid away
Are any adoption agencies close by?
You know you love them when you wanna kill them but you don’t do it and not just because you can go to jail for it
Okay wow, hilarious… if these people aren’t ardent plant lovers, I dunno who is!
Contrary to how one must have thought I felt, these comments actually lightened me up and even gave me a bunch of good chuckles. Well, it’s just that some humour in the face of mini disaster never hurt me.
Sure, they surely had a good laugh at my expense but I don’t think they were actually being mean-spirited, but rather just applying a good sense of humour!
What I am unsure about is why would those two people in the comments naturally assume that it must’ve been a boy that committed this act given the fact that I have two girls. Hmm… gender stereotype much?
And then one would have wished that I get an answer to the question — cause after all isn’t the group called “Help with House Plants?” Amongst these troll comments barely any with solution come by, but I did find a couple of useful/nice/comforting responses in there that read:
Have your 3-year-old make a nice piece of art with the leaves
Sob yourself into a slumber, wake up refreshed, and look forward to the excuse to go out and treat yourself to a *few* new plants! Maybe all of the above
My dog destroyed some of my plants so I feel you. But your kiddo / my dog didn’t mean to harm so you can’t be mad. Let’s hope your plant will recover from the shock. One of mine did. And my dog seems to grow out of “gardening”
But the comment which lit me up the most and clearly won in my eyes read, “Remember the good old days when they’d just take scissors to themselves? Ha! Probably an excellent time to teach your young gardener about green life and how to fix and propagate.” So thoughtful and true, I thought!
Half an hour after posting the question and whilst still reading the comments, unfortunately, according to the group’s moderator, these comments went against the guidelines and rules and so he closed the engagement option (both reactions and comments) on the post — especially given how quickly it was gaining traction.
So that’s where the joke had to end, but it sure made for a funny story that I thought was worth sharing!
Fast forward to two weeks after the episode and leaving my monstera as is, besides just cutting off the useless part of her stem and continuing to water her on schedule – three new leaves sprouted since and the fourth one is getting ready to uncurl anytime soon!
That makes the plant mom in me very happy as does my monstera seems to be.
After all, all’s well that ends well… isn’t it?! :)
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