Being a parent to a cocky, disrespectful teenager is far from easy, and different parents have different approaches to get their children to behave.
One mom, Heidi Johnson, wrote a handwritten letter to her son, Aaron, and shared it on Facebook. She didn’t intend for the post to go viral. She didn’t even intend to make the post public. It was supposed to just be for friends to see, but she does not regret her post or the fact that it’s public.
In the letter to her 13-year-old son, Johnson reprimanded her son treating her like a “roommate.” She went on to give him an itemized bill for rent, food, etc that totaled over $700. If he was going to treat her like a roommate instead of his mom, she would do the same.
Johnson signed the note, “Love Mom,” and she truly does love her son. She followed up the post with another post explaining some backstory to the situation. She also reassured parents who were criticizing her that “I am not going to put my 13 year old on the street if he can’t pay his half of the rent. I am not wanting him to pay anything. I want him to take pride in his home, his space, and appreciate the gifts and blessings we have.”
She added that she never intended for Aaron to pay the bill. Instead, she wanted him to “gain an appreciation of what things cost.” The reason Johnson wrote the note was to make sure her son understood “what life would look like if I was not his ‘parent,’ but rather a ‘roommate.’ It was a lesson about gratitude and respect from the very beginning.”
Johnson also explained that before she wrote the note, her son had lied about doing his homework, and when she told him she was going to restrict his internet access, he responded, “Well, I am making money now.” She explained that the money he was referring to was a little bit of income he was making from his YouTube channel, but not nearly enough to pay for food and rent.
The public note has not hurt Johnson’s relationship with her son. She explained, “He and I still talk as openly as ever. He has apologized multiple times.”
Johnson has also had parents turning to her for advice since she posted the note to her son. She explains, “My post seems to have opened a door, and people feel safe coming to me and asking for advice, venting, or even just have someone bear witness to their experience by listening and opening up and sharing a piece of myself in return.”
Woman tries to take her seat on a plane – but she refuses, and what happens next has the internet is divided
Flying is not a pleasant experience for everyone. Some people make sure that before they set off on their trip, they take measures to ensure their comfort. But not everyone is mindful of the same thing.
This woman knew what she required when traveling and did exactly that. However, there were others who did not see it that way…
A woman found herself in a very uncomfortable position both literally and figuratively. She was torn between prioritizing her own comfort over societal expectations. She was faced with a decision; she could either be generous or stand up for her personal space.
She was headed across the country to spend Christmas with her family. She knew when she flew, she needed to be comfortable. Considering her size, she always books an extra seat on a flight. She makes sure to pay extra to ensure her comfort.
Everything went smoothly during the check-in, and she flew by through security and boarding. It was only when she was sitting in her seat that the unpleasant experience began. A woman with her 18-month-old child was sitting next to her. She saw that there was one seat empty and promptly requested that the woman squeeze herself onto one seat so that her toddler could occupy the other one. But seeing as the original occupant had paid for both seats, she refused.
The interaction was gaining attention, and a flight attendant noticed and came by to see what was going on. When the situation was explained to the flight attendant, she asked the woman on whether she could make room for the child, but she politely declined and asserted one again that she had paid in full for both seats.
The flight attendant thankfully understood and instructed the mother to hold her child in her lap as most children that age usually do. But, throughout the journey, the mother made sure to make the woman uncomfortable with dirty looks and passive-aggressive remarks.
Later, the woman wondered whether she had been unfair in this interaction and should have relented and given up her extra seat. She took to Reddit to ask the community on whether she had been wrong.
One person, who was a mother herself and had been in a similar situation wrote, “I’ve taken 9-hour flights with an infant in my arms and shorter flights with a toddler in my lap, who was capable of sitting in his own seat and very much did not want me to hold him. Did it suck? Yes. But it was my problem alone, and as long as my child was under 24 months and I didn’t have to pay for his seat, I chose to hold him. I swear, not all of us parents are this entitled!”
Another person added, “She’s wrong for not buying a seat for her son and assuming someone else would give up a seat they paid for. Odds are she was hoping there’d be extra seats on the flight so she didn’t have to pay and used the lap thing as a loophole.”
“I’d go so far as making a complaint to the airline about their employee supporting another passenger harassing you,” another outraged Redditor wrote.
Another annoyed user said, “You should always do what you can to be as healthy as you can, but being fat isn’t a character flaw or a moral failing. We all have our own challenges in life, and you deserve not to be ashamed of your body and yourself, even if you aren’t currently meeting your goals. If the mom wants an extra seat for her kids, she should have purchased one. She’s not entitled to a seat you purchased, and you don’t need to feel bad for her bad behavior.”
While, some people could also perhaps see the mother’s side in wanting to have a comfortable flight as well. However, had that been important for her, she would have made sure to prioritize getting a seat for her child.
Who do you think is right in this conversation? Let us know in the comments! Share this with others so they can also give their two cents on the topic.
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