It’s definitely not easy to raise a child, it’s probably something that every mom and dad out there will be able to confirm. We all do our best to teach them good lessons, behave, be kind and nice, and actually listen to their parents. However, over the years, not every child likes to listen to some of the rules.
At the age of teenagehood or puberty, it’s much more common for kids to revolt against their parents, of some sort. It’s one of the hurdles in life that every child and parent has to go through.
A single mom was living together with her 13-year-old teenage son, who was misbehaving, not treating his mom with respect, and spent too much time attached to his screens. He also started to neglect school work.
One day, she had enough of it. Mom decided to write him a heartfelt, powerful letter that would prove to be a “rude awakening.”
Instead of grounding him, she knew she needed to take a very different approach. She wrote the letter and attached it to his bedroom door. It all started when her son, the 13-year-old Aaron, wasn’t doing his homework as he should. As a consequence, mom then simply restricted his internet access, and things definitely took a turn for the worse since then.
Aaron started giving her a huge attitude, began slamming doors, and was disrespecting his mom. He also kept shouting that he made his own money with his YouTube channel, and didn’t need her anymore. The following letter was mom’s response. Although, perhaps it’s only fair to say it’s not only a letter but also a bill!
“Dear Aaron, Since you seem to have forgotten you are only 13, and I’m the parent, and that you won’t be controlled, I guess you will need a lesson in independence. Also, as you threw in my face that you are making money now, it will be easier to buy back all the items I bought for you in the past,” the letter starts.
“If you would like your lamp/lightbulbs or access to the internet, you will need to pay your share of costs.
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Rent – $430
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Electricity – $116
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Internet – $21
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Food – $150″
It was clear that mom really had enough of it, and didn’t want to be treated that way. Aside from the bill, mom also had a few other things that needed to be resolved.
“Also, you will need to empty the trash Mon, Wed, + Friday, as well as sweep + vaccum those days. You will need to keep your bathroom clean weekly, prepare your own meals, and clean up after yourself. If you fail to do so, I will charge you a $30 maid fee for every day I have to do it.”
At the end of the letter, mom gave Aaron another option and perhaps his last chance with some final, powerful words.
“If you decide you would rather be my child again, instead of roommate, we can renegotiate terms. Love, Mom”
Mom posted the letter on Facebook, but she didn’t expect her powerful message to spread across the internet and go viral.
It was only her intention to let her friends and family see the post, but the letter was shared over and over again, and it came to a point where hundreds of thousands of people had seen it. She also explained that she took away her son’s favorite clothes and strip his mattress until he behaved.
“He will have three options.. Buy his own, rent his clothes at $3 a day, or renegotiate his terms of being a child. Mama’s done playing games and being a doormat.”
Mom’s “rude awakening” letter was applauded by thousands of parents, but some also had a bit of criticism.
The woman reiterated that is was never her intention to publicly shame Aaron, but it went viral before she was able to stop it.
Many didn’t think it was thoughtful to share the letter with the entire world, for example, even though it was an accident. Later on, she posted an update to her original post to provide some more background information.
She also explained how Aaron reacted to the letter.
Of course, he wasn’t exactly happy when he discovered the letter and walked off to take a breath of fresh air. When he returned, he and mom had a heartfelt and emotional conversation, and things seem to have improved since then.
“…after about an hour, he had removed some electronics and items I missed that he felt he should have to earn back for his behavior. He apologized, and asked what could he do to make things better and start earning items back.”
It seems like Aaron learned a valuable lesson that day, and his behavior towards mom started to change in a positive way. The two even came up with a contract, to address a number of issues they’ve had in the past such as homework, being on screens too much, and doing chores.
For this mom, it seems like the ‘tough love’ approach definitely worked out in her favor. A hard, but valuable lesson learned.
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Source: Heidi Johnson, Facebook, TODAY
