6-year-old Hannah Lee used to love to have tea parties with her two favorite stuffed animals in her room. So, when she heard there would be a tea party downtown, she insisted that her mother, Mandy, take her.

“She screamed and cried until I promised to take her. I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I thought maybe it was some sort of young girl convention. I had no idea it was political,” said Mandy.

What the Lee’s were actually attending was a Republican party event known as a ‘Tea Party,’ where hoards of people rally together to support common causes. The events are highly charged politically, often bringing out the most vocal and most extreme conservatives.

“I was scared,” said Hannah. “Everyone was screaming and yelling. And there was no tea.”

Mandy was horrified. The language and attitude of most of the people at the event was appalling. “As a full-time mom, I recognize I have some extra time on my hands. Many of these people, I believe, need to get back to work or find another hobby or something because they were spewing stereotypes and hateful talk. They need something to do.” She added, “If I had some soap, I would have washed many of their mouths out.”

When she returned home, Hannah put her tea table, cups, and stuffed animals outside her door and locked the room, refusing to come out. Mandy had to talk to her for over an hour and convince her that not all adults have tea parties like that.

“She’s clearly scarred. I just hope she can recover sometime soon,” Mandy said.