Most adults know that being a grown-up looks a lot easier to kids than it actually is. Kids see a home with food, electricity, and unlimited internet, but they don’t realize how much work it takes to make all that happen.
One mom decided to teach her 13-year-old son this lesson after he acted disrespectfully. She came up with a funny way to show him that “nothing comes for free” in the real world. Keep reading to find out how she gave her son a dose of “real world” responsibility!
In 2015, Heidi Johnson was struggling with her 13-year-old son, Aaron, who was acting defiant. She said he “wants the benefits of being grown-up without the responsibility that goes with it.”
At the time, Aaron was making a “little bit of money” as a YouTuber and didn’t want to listen to his mom’s rules about finishing his homework. He got upset, left her room, and said he was a “free person” because he was “making money.”
In response to Aaron’s attitude, his mom, a single parent, wrote him a “tough love” letter and posted it on Facebook. Nearly 10 years later, the post has gone viral again.
The letter starts, “Since you seem to have forgotten that you’re only 13, and I’m the parent, and that you can’t be controlled, I guess you need a lesson in independence.” She jokingly called it a “roommate contract” and wrote, “Since you’re making money now, you can pay for the things I’ve bought for you in the past.”
She also told him, “If you want your lamp, lightbulbs, or internet access, you’ll need to cover your share of the costs.”
The letter told Aaron he would have to pay for rent and utilities, cook his own meals, and help clean around the house.
She ended it with, “Love, Mom.”
Repossession
The mom, who lives in Venice, Italy, said that when her son saw the note on his door, he crumpled it up, threw it on the floor, and stormed out of the apartment.
He just needed some time to cool off, and she took the chance to take back a few of his things from his room.
“After he had time to think, he asked what he could do to start earning his privileges back,” she said. He later brought back the things he had taken from his room and asked how he could start getting them again.
She explained, “It wasn’t really about making him pay me back. It was about helping him understand what things actually cost. He quickly realized he couldn’t pay for rent, utilities, or food.”
People online loved her creative way of disciplining him and filled the comments with praise.
One person online wrote, “Great job. Nothing in the agreement is harsh, but it will teach him a lesson he’ll remember for life.”
A second person commented, “I know you’re not looking for praise or criticism, but as a fellow mom, I think you’re amazing. You gave your son the chance to learn and grow.”
A third person wrote, “Bravo to you for being a parent instead of just a maid!”
‘Real world’
In response to people who accused her of shaming her son, Johnson posted again, saying she is “not ashamed” of what she wrote.
She starts by saying, “A teenager is going to test their limits. They’re at that stage where one foot is moving toward adulthood, but the other is still in childhood. I can’t send him to college or a job with the attitude of ‘I’ll do it later’ when someone in charge tells him to get something done. That’s not how the real world works.”
Johnson adds, “Nothing is free. Someone has to make a sacrifice to make it happen.”
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!
