Mother’s Ingenious Letter Goes Viral as She Addresses Her Challenging Son
Posted October 2, 2023 by: Admin
Despite your best efforts and multiple attempts to support your case, children often have the belief that they are experts in everything. This can be quite frustrating for a parent, having to grapple with this characteristic regularly. However, a mother’s letter to her 13-year-old son, addressing his belief that it was acceptable to establish his own rules, has gained significant popularity.
According to the mother, who goes by the name Estella Havisham on Facebook, her adolescent son needed a valuable lesson. Her lesson quickly gained online attention.
Originally, Estella Havisham intended for her Facebook post to be viewed solely by her friends and family when she decided to teach her son a lesson about behaving his age (metaphorically). Unbeknownst to her, her account had a “public” viewing option, causing her letter to quickly go viral. Before she knew it, it had become widely known and had gone viral due to the positive responses it received from people around the world.
In the letter, Estella reprimanded her son, named Aaron, for attempting to act like an adult prematurely. She was fed up with her 13-year-old’s attempt to establish his own rules and warned him that if he continued, she would start assigning him responsibilities more suitable for his desired status.
The exasperated mom stated that he would be required to contribute to the food bill, pay rent for the house, and cover any ‘maid service’ she provided, presumably including meal preparation and laundry.
The letter reads: “I believe you need a lesson in independence. Additionally, since you boasted about making money now, it will be easier to reimburse me for all the items I bought for you in the past. If you wish to keep your lamp/light bulbs or access to the internet, you will need to contribute your share of the expenses.”
“Moreover, you will need to take out the trash on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as well as sweep and vacuum on those days. You must 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 each day I have to do it. If you decide that you’d rather be MY CHILD again instead of a roommate, we can discuss the terms.”
Many online commenters praised her parenting approach, while others felt she was too strict. Soon, Estella’s letter had been shared 160,000 times and received 85,000 likes on Facebook. In response to criticism of “shaming” her son online, she defended herself by saying:
“Why embarrass him publicly? I didn’t intend to. It was an accident. I meant to post it only to my immediate family and friends, so I was puzzled when I received over 100 friend requests yesterday. I genuinely believed that my account had been compromised in some way. Yes, I could take it down, but by now, so many people have already read and seen it.”
Many social media users applauded her firm stance right away. Furthermore, it appears to have been effective. The mother and son reportedly established a contract to maintain discipline, and Aaron seems to have embraced her new guidelines. It seems that the letter was successful in prompting Heidi and Aaron to create a contract with guidelines that Aaron appears to be following.
“I’m not a domineering parent trying to ‘control’ my child. I am a parent who has every RIGHT to establish rules, expectations, and consequences for my child.”
What are your thoughts on whether the mother went too far, or if it was appropriate for her to use her parental authority to establish boundaries, requirements, and penalties for her child? Please share your opinions in the space provided below. SHARE this article if you believe she did an excellent job as a parent and want to inspire others to follow in her footsteps!
