A B.C. mother has posted an emotional letter on Facebook after her son, who has Down syndrome, was excluded from a class birthday party.

“[Y]ou have invited all 22 other children from the class except for my son,” Jennifer Kiss-Engele of Langley, B.C. wrote in the June 23 letter, which was addressed to the other child’s parent.

“I know it’s not because he’s mean, you couldn’t meet a happier child. I know it’s not because he’s not fun, he has a great sense of humour and an infectious laugh… The only reason why you decided it was OK to not invite my son to your child’s birthday party is because he has Down Syndrome.”

Kiss-Engele admits that before having Sawyer, she too was scared and misinformed about the condition.

“I know if you knew more about Down Syndrome you wouldn’t have made this decision,” she wrote. “People with Down Syndrome want the same things that you and I want. They want to have close relationships, they want to feel love, they want to contribute, they want to have meaningful lives, and they want to go to birthday parties.”

In the letter, Kiss-Engele urges the other parent to use this incident to spark a conversation about inclusion.

“Maybe you are struggling with the words to say to your child because your child did not want my son at their birthday party,” she wrote. “But this is a great opportunity and life lesson to have with your child. They will remember the time that their parent said to them, it’s not OK to leave someone out because of their disability, race, or gender.”

Kiss-Engele, who says she is not angry with the other parent, said she could have done more to teach Sawyer’s class about his condition.

“I may be a mama bear but I am not a scary person. I recognize that we all make mistakes and at the end of the day, I think we both could have done better.”

Kiss-Engele’s note has received 1,400 likes and more than 300 comments to date. Since penning the letter, Kiss-Engele said her son has since been invited to the party.

“[T]hank you for all your love and support,” she wrote in a follow-up Facebook post. “I have a feeling that Sawyer will have a very busy social calendar next year.”

You can read the original letter below:

With files from CTV News Vancouver.