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The mother of a nine-year-old girl who addressed McDonald's CEO Don Thompson at a shareholder鈥檚 meeting about the corporate practice of using toys included in meals as a means of getting kids to eat unhealthy food says there has been an enormous backlash in comments against her child from the brand鈥檚 supporters. The fast food corporate giant also says the comments are unacceptable, stating that it hopes its supporters would show courtesy to those who have dissenting views like Hannah rather than bashing a child for her opinion.

This story has become both a civics lesson and a cautionary tale for parents who want to raise brave children who stand by their beliefs. The problem with helping our kids stand up for their beliefs is that we also have to teach them to weather the storm of criticism from online trolls (those who post nastygrams just to cause upset and hostility), bullies, and meanies.

As a parent of four sons, one of them nine years old, I regularly encourage my boys to express their beliefs, so I can understand why Kia Robertson agreed to accept the offer of the activist group Corporate Accountability of Boston and fly with her child from Kelowna, Canada to Hamburger University in Illinois so her daughter could formally address the CEO and shareholders during a scheduled meeting of the minds.

I also share her shock at the outpouring of toxic comments directed at a little girl by people more committed to an eatery than humanity.

Margaret Meade once said, 鈥淚t is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet.鈥� Amen to that, sister!

After reading some of the comments on stories about this event, I see it鈥檚 considered by some akin to treason and flag-burning to suggest that the fast food chain outed in the documentary film "Super Size Me" is anything other than ideal.

What did Hannah say to Thompson in that fateful meeting that has the McMob enraged?

She read from a written statement her mom helped her prepare, according to .

鈥淪omething I don鈥檛 think is fair is when big companies try to trick kids into eating food that isn鈥檛 good for them by using toys and cartoon characters," Hannah read. "If parents haven鈥檛 taught their kids about healthy eating, then the kids probably believe that junk food is good for them because it might taste good.鈥�

鈥淚t would be nice if you stopped trying to trick kids into wanting to eat your food all the time,鈥� the younger Robertson continued, still reading from the statement. 鈥淚 make cooking videos with my mom that show kids that eating healthy can be fun and yummy. We teach them that eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies makes kids healthier, smarter, and happier because that is the truth.鈥�

According to The Raw Story, an alternative news site, instead of being gracious when a child was a guest at his corporate table, Thompson shot back, saying, 鈥淔irst of all, we don鈥檛 sell junk food, Hannah.鈥�

Contrary to some of the many comments I have seen posted on various stories about Hannah, her mom did not 鈥渂urst into a board meeting, child in tow鈥� to randomly shout at the CEO. Also, it wasn鈥檛 something she initiated as a publicity stunt for her tiny Canadian online business, which promotes healthy cooking with your kids, according to Robertson.

鈥淚t all started last April when this group called Corporate Accountability went looking for mommy bloggers to address their concerns as part of the Moms Not Loving It (a play on the brand鈥檚 I鈥檓 Loving it slogan) over various practices of corporations marketing to children,鈥� Kia said during a phone interview. (The campaign can be found online .)

Jesse Bragg, press secretary for Corporate Accountability International, confirmed that the organizers there contacted Kia, not the other way around.

The fact is that the lobbying group Corporate Accountability of Boston flew the Canadian mom and daughter to Hamburger University in Chicago for the board meeting.

Sriram Madhusoodanan, who is an organizer on the Value the Meal Campaign run by Corporate Accountability, seconded Bragg, saying, 鈥淚 can definitely confirm that we traveled to Blog Her last year, which is a conference of women who blog... We met so many moms who blog and are sick of the repeated efforts by the company to undermine parental efforts.

鈥淲e began with Moms Not Loving It, launched on Mothers Day, and then we saw this incredibly moving and personal post by Kia. But Hannah is so articulate and passionate about kids鈥� health. Hannah really wanted to speak up herself on behalf of kids, so that鈥檚 what we did instead of [just] having her mom speak.鈥�

Madhusoodanan said his team had not really expected this meeting to garner such viral media attention.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 unfortunate that McDonald's can spend multimillions of dollars to campaign with little resistance, but here鈥檚 a little girl like Hannah delivering such a powerful message and getting this kind of blowback from McDonalds supporters,鈥� he said.

Meanwhile, McDonald's also says the encounter has been misstated in the media.聽

鈥淭he headlines on this really don鈥檛 reflect what happened in that board room," Heidi Barker Sa Shekshem, the vice-president of Global External Communication McDonald鈥檚 Corporate, said. "Don Thompson had a very amicable exchange with Hannah. They were both very friendly and as a father, he would only want Hannah鈥檚 remarks to be treated in that same spirit by anyone outside our organization. We would like to see anyone out there engaging in discussion on this to follow that same amicable spirit.鈥�

Kia Robertson said that she never imagined how vicious McDonald's supporters would be in their responses to her supporting her child鈥檚 decision to make her beliefs known to corporate America.

鈥淧eople have been really rough on us over this, saying I鈥檓 a bad parent and accusing me of just doing this to promote my business,鈥� Kia said. 鈥淪ome of the things they wrote to Hannah directly via our website are just too vile and ugly to repeat. She hasn鈥檛 seen any of those, but it鈥檚 frightening to see people writing to a child this way. I guess being behind a computer, people feel like they can be that way to a child.鈥�

Someone posting under the name sotoli commented on a blog on Hannah, 鈥渒now what Hanna, if you don't like the food there, simple solution, EAT WHERE YOU DO LIKE THE FOOD. I don't like salads, but I don't go and try and make salad restaraunts look bad. You come off as a spoiled brat saying things will have to be my way or no way.鈥�

Meanwhile, Wayne Russell Hawkins, a worker at a Simpsonville, S.C., McDonald's location, posted on another news story about Hannah, 鈥測ou know....if you don't like it, don't eat it...I am PROUD to work at the number 1 restaurant chain in the world!鈥�

Another poster named Schuyler commented on the UPI story, 鈥淒on't worry Mr. Thompson; no intelligent person is going to listen to a snotty little brat begging for attention and egged on my her idiot mother. When I want a Big Mac, fries and a chocolate shake no words from a rug rat is going to affect my decision.鈥�

Those were the tamest comments I could find. I was relieved when they were rebutted by people with some sense of decorum who related their stories about how members of their own families had seen a decline in health after prolonged eating of 鈥渏unk food鈥� at the fast food chain.

A commenter named Susan posted on the same UPI blog, 鈥淎bout 10 years ago my friend's 19 year old son got an apartment in walking distance of his job. There was a McDonald's in his neighborhood. For 30 days he ate McDonald's 3 times a day. Then he was hospitalized for 5 days for serious gastro-intestinal problems that the doctors said was caused by his diet. You decide... does McDonald's sell "junk food"?鈥�

Hannah's mother Kia said the situation has had some positive effects.

鈥淥n the good side Hannah鈥檚 been getting some really nice emails from kids via their parents," she said. "She鈥檚 now gonna have penpals in Texas and all over. Even the Canadian children鈥檚 singer tweeted for people to 鈥榞ive Hannah a hug.鈥� 鈥�

I鈥檓 going to go to Raffi for the wisdom to solve all of this business via his song, 鈥淭he More we Get Together.鈥�

"The more we get together, Together, together, The more we get together, The happier we'll be.
聽鈥楥ause your friends are my friends, And my friends are your friends. The more we get together, The happier we'll be."

I believe it was the right thing to do as a parent to bring a little girl together with a grown corporate leader and all those shareholders and reporters. Because we don鈥檛 need more meanies or upset in the world. The more we get together to discuss our views, the happier we鈥檒l be.