Mom Leaves Note To “Independent” Son Teaching Him Tough Love

It’s been six years since this mother decided to teach her son a lesson when he insisted that he doesn’t need her help anymore because he is ‘independent.’ Even after all this time, what this mother did is still something that a lot of parents can relate to.

Heidi Johnson, a single mother, knew she had to go to great lengths to teach her child to respect and obey her. Aaron had just turned 13. He was at a point where he was too hard to control. The teenager thought that because he was an ‘adult,’ he didn’t have to follow his mother’s rules anymore. He would say no if she asked him to do his chores or homework. He would spend most of his time with his gadgets.

And at the time, Aaron was a small YouTube. And through his uploads, he is already making his own money. That led him to believe that he is now financially independent, that he had no responsibility to put in any further effort at home or in his studies.

His mom did not approve, to put it mildly. Because of that, Heidi completely lost it. She believed he needed to know what “tough love” is and she was ready to give it to him just like any other mother would when their teenager is acting up.

So while he was at school, Heidi wrote him a letter.

She wrote: “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 a lesson in independence.”

She continued by saying that now that he feels that he is financially responsible, he can pay her back for all she provided for him for free. He will have to pay for everything – from electricity to his clothes. To name a few, she included rent and utilities on her long list of items he needed to pay for. In addition, she gave him some tasks to do once he announced his “independence.”

She added: “If you decide you would rather be my child again, instead of a roommate, we can renegotiate terms.”

She hung the note on her son’s bedroom door after posting a photo of it on Facebook. Since her online social circle is so small, she assumed that only a select few would be able to read the post. That’s not what happened though…

The next day, her Facebook request count went up by 100, which surprised her. She found out that her letter has gone viral. Also, her son was furious after finding the note.

Heidi shared, “He crumpled the letter, threw it to the floor, and stormed out of the apartment.”

At first he didn’t believe his mother would actually do what she said she would in the letter. About an hour later, though, he seemed to have realized she wasn’t joking.

He took the television and other items out of the bedroom so he could reclaim what he felt was rightfully his. Then, he apologized after realizing that he was wrong.

Even though six years have passed, Heidi’s advice to her son is still as good as ever. People are still responding to her post, making comments, and sharing the link on social media.