Most grown-ups know that adulting seems deceptively easy when viewed through the eyes of an inexperienced child, and if you don’t, you should take note.
There’s a nicely powered home to live in, complete with food on the table and unlimited internet access. And how those things got there isn’t nearly as simple as a child might believe.
One mother, wanting to teach her disrespectful son that “nothing comes for free,” found a hilarious way to call out her 13-year-old, who wasn’t quite ready for the responsibilities of being an adult. Keep reading to find out how this mom used a “real world” lesson to discipline her son!
In 2015, Heidi Johnson was facing trouble with her defiant 13-year-old son, Aaron, who she writes “wants the perks of growing up without the responsibility that comes with it.”
At the time, Aaron was earning a “teeny tiny bit of money” as a YouTuber and refused to follow his mom’s instructions about completing his homework. The young rebel stormed out of her room and declared “he was a free person” because he was “making money.”
Responding to his behavior, the single mother penned a tough-love letter to Aaron and shared it on Facebook. The post, which has gone viral again almost 10 years later, was a creative way to teach him about the realities of adulthood.
“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,” Johnson begins in the “roommate contract.” “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.”
She adds, “If you would like your lamps, lightbulbs, or access to the internet, you will need to pay your share of the costs.”
The conditions of the contract also required Aaron to pay for rent and utilities, cook his own meals, and regularly clean around the house.
Johnson then signs off with a simple, “Love, Mom.”
Repossession
When her son saw the note on his door, he crumpled it up, tossed it on the floor, and stormed out of the apartment. The kid just needed some time to think, and she needed some time to repossess some of the property in his room.
“Once he had time to think about his wrongs, he asked what he could do to start re-earning privileges,” she said. Aaron eventually collected the items from his room that his mom had missed and, after giving them to her, he asked what he could do to start earning them back.
“It was never really about having him pay me back; it was to help him gain an appreciation of what things cost. He recognized right away that he couldn’t pay rent, utilities, or for food,” she explains.
Hey Folks! If you are even the least bit curious about the background of this letter, here is a link to what led up to…
Posted by Heidi Johnson on Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Online users jumped into the comments section of her post, praising her creative disciplining approach.
One netizen wrote of the note, “Great job. Nothing in the agreement is cruel punishment but will teach him a lesson he will carry through life.”
“I know you are not looking for praise nor disapproval, but I have to let you know, as a fellow mom, that I think you are amazing. You gave your son the opportunity to learn and grow,” shares a second.
“Bravo to you for acting like a parent instead of a maid,” writes a third.
‘Real World’
Responding to a handful of users who accused her of publicly shaming her son, Johnson shared another post explaining that she is “not ashamed” of what she wrote.
“A teenager is going to push their limits,” she starts. “They are in that developmental stage where one foot is starting to cross into adulthood, while the other is still firmly planted in childhood… I cannot send this child into college or the workforce with the attitude of ‘I’ll get to it when I get to it’ when a superior tells him to get a job done. That is the real world.”
Johnson adds, “Nothing comes free. Someone is making a sacrifice somewhere down the line.”
What do you think of this mom’s creative parenting style? Please share your thoughts with us, and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
