Most adults know that “adulting” can seem deceptively simple through the eyes of an inexperienced child, and if you don’t, it’s worth paying attention.
There’s a comfortably run home to live in, with things like food on the table and unlimited internet access. And how those things actually come together is far less simple than a child might think.
One mother, wanting to teach her disrespectful son that “nothing comes for free,” found a humorous way to call out the 13-year-old who wasn’t ready for the responsibilities of adulthood. Keep reading to learn how this mom used a “real world” lesson to discipline her son.
In 2015, Heidi Johnson was struggling with her defiant 13-year-old son Aaron, who she says “wants the perks of growing up without the responsibility that comes with it.”
At the time, Aaron was making a “teeny tiny bit of money” as a YouTuber and refused to follow his mom’s instructions about doing his homework. The young rebel stormed out of her room and declared “he was a free person” because he was “making money.”
In response to his behavior, the single mother wrote a tough-love letter to Aaron and shared it on Facebook, a post that nearly 10 years later has gone viral again.
“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 note’s conditions required Aaron to pay rent and utilities, and also to cook his own meals and regularly clean around the house.
Johnson signs off 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.
The boy just needed time to think, and she needed time to repossess some of the items 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, adding that he later gathered items from his room that she had taken, and after handing them over, asked how he could 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 explained.
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 it…
Posted by Heidi Johnson on Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Online users jumped into the comments section of her post, praising her creative discipline.
One netizen wrote, “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,” shared a second.
“Bravo to you for acting like a parent instead of a maid,” wrote 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 started. “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 added, “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!
