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.”
My Husband Left Me and Our Kids for His Mistress — I Took Revenge after Visiting My MIL
Hannah is startled and heartbroken after she finds shocking photos of her husband, Charles, with his young coworker, Madison. With her world falling apart, Hannah doesn’t know what to do, but a visit to her mother-in-law’s gives her a secret weapon. Can Hannah use this new evidence to get the revenge she deserves?
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Sitting in my living room, I stared at my phone, my hands trembling.
It all started a week ago when my friend Sarah mentioned she had seen Charles with a young woman at a café. I brushed it off, thinking it was a misunderstanding.
But something gnawed at me, and I decided to ask Sarah to keep an eye out.
Now, Sarah’s message popped up with several pictures attached. I opened them, and there they were — Charles and Madison, his 20-year-old coworker, entering a hotel together.
They were laughing and holding hands, the intimacy between them unmistakable.
He shook his head. “No, Hannah. It’s over.”
I realized our life together, the family we built, meant nothing to him.
After Charles left, my life turned upside down.
I moved into a small apartment with the kids, barely scraping by. The settlement I received was meager, barely enough to cover our basic needs. I had hoped to keep things stable for the children, but every month was a struggle to pay rent.
One evening, after putting the kids to bed, I sat down with my laptop to look for ways to make ends meet. My job as a part-time receptionist wasn’t enough, and I started searching for freelance work, anything that could help us get by.
“How could he do this?” I muttered to myself, feeling the sting of injustice.
Charles had lied about the house’s value during the divorce proceedings. He’d manipulated the system to leave me with almost nothing. The unfairness of it all consumed me.
How was I supposed to provide for our children when he had taken everything?
“We did it, Hannah. He’s finally getting what he deserves,” Margaret said, hugging me tightly.
I smiled, tears of gratitude in my eyes. “Thank you, Margaret. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
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