All parents whose children have grown or are currently in their teenage years know how stressful and exhausting it can be, and how stubborn and full of desires children are.
It is a time when they would give anything to grow up enough to consider their parents as heartless creatures who enjoy controlling them, so they want to be independent as soon as possible.
This woman, Estelle, went through a similar situation.
Namely, her 13-year-old son Aaron opened a channel on the YouTube portal, and through it, he started earning a small amount.
He announced to his mother with pride that he was now independent, and in the ensuing argument, he pointed out to her that he was now earning and that Estelle no longer had the right to control him and determine what he would do.
Instead of continuing the argument or punishing the boy, Estelle came up with an ingenious idea: she wrote her son a short letter and hid his favorite things.
Read the letter and you will understand why these few lines have become a real hit on the internet and why parents around the world are congratulating the mother for her step.
“Dear Aaron,
Since you seem to have forgotten that you are only 13 and I’m the parent, and that you won’t be controlled, I guess you will need to learn a lesson in independence. Also, 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. If you would like your lamp/lightbulbs or access to the internet, you will need to pay your share of costs: Rent: $430, Electricity: $116, Internet: $21, Food: $150.You will also need to take out the trash on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as clean and vacuum the house.
Also you will need to empty the trash Mon, Wed & Friday as well as sweep and vacuum those days. You will need to keep your bathroom clean weekly, prepare your own meals and clean up after yourself. If you fail to do so I will charge you a $30 maid fee for every day I have to do it. If you decide you would rather be MY CHILD again instead of a roommate, we can negotiate terms.
Love, Mom.”
The letter has since gone viral, with parents everywhere applauding Estella for her tough love approach to parenting! Though some have said she was too tough on Aaron, Estella isn’t backing down.
“Why publicly shame him? I’m not. It was an accident,” she said in response. “I meant to post to just family and friends; and yesterday I couldn’t figure out why I had over 100 friend request. I actually thought maybe my account got hacked or something. Yes, I could take it down, but so many people have already read and seen it at this point.”
The letter ended up working, as Aaron has since agreed to a new set of rules that he will follow.
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