Parenting is a roller-coaster ride full of surprises. Some parenting ways may work for others, while some may not. Anyhow, at the end of the day, no parent would wish harm to their child. And all of their actions are done out of parental love and concern.
This was the case with Heidi Johnson, a loving mother who only wants the best for her son. When her 13-year-old son, Aaron disrespected her house rules, ignored and lied about his homework, she made sure that her son would learn a valuable lesson he won’t forget. Heidi spoke to him calmly to sort out these issues but he arrogantly fought and told her he earned his own money from YouTube.
So Heidi came up with a brilliant idea. She wrote an open letter to her son and before sticking it to his room door she clicked a picture of the letter and posted it on Facebook for family and some friends to see it.
Heidi wrote a bill in the note to make him realize when he said he can make it on his own. “I wrote a bill to make a point. Nothing comes for free. Someone is making a sacrifice somewhere down the line.”, she wrote.
The letter was widely shared on Facebook. She received mixed reactions though many gave love and supported her for expressing some tough love to her child. Whether you agree with Heidi’s parenting style or not, we all agree as parents we need to show our children their limits and correct them for their good.
People judged her for sharing the letter so Heidi wrote another open letter later expressing that the only reason she put those rules for her son was to realise the values and attitudes in life. According to Heidi, the first letter was originally meant for friends and family but accidentally clicked public. And also mentioned she understands every parent’s parenting style may be different and all may not agree to her way.
Anyways when Aaron read it first he was angry and said she couldn’t take his belongings away. But Heidi not only took most of the items from the room but also mentioned he had to clean the room or pay the housemaid fee. She was not willing to do the housework for free anymore.
At the end Aaron learnt his mistake of being wrong, lying about his homework and apologized to his mother. He promised he would never do it again. However to make things more precise Heidi and her son made a contract. At times being tough on the children makes them learn a lesson. Similarly, Heidi knew her son the best and she knew where to draw a line.
It’s a happy ending for this mother and son. In the end every parent wants the best for their kids. I am sure Aaron will be grateful to his mom later for teaching him life values.
