Most grown-ups know that adulting seems deceptively easy when viewed through the eyes of an inexperienced child, and if you don’t, you should take note.
There’s a nicely powered home to live with features like food on the table and unlimited internet use. And how those things got there isn’t nearly as simple as a child might believe.
One mother, wanting to teach her disrespectful son that “nothing comes for free” found a hilarious way to call out the 13-year-old who wasn’t ready for the responsibilities of an adult. Keep reading to learn how this mom used a “real world” lesson to discipline her son!
In 2015, Heidi Johnson was having trouble with her defiant 13-year-old son Aaron, who she writes “wants the perks of growing up without the responsibility that comes with it.”
At the time, Aaron was earning a “teeny tiny bit of money” as a YouTuber and refused to follow his mom’s instructions about completing his homework. The young rebel stormed out of her room and declared “he was a free person” as he was “making money.”
Responding to his behavior, the single mother penned a tough love letter to Aaron and shared it on Facebook, a post that after almost 10 years has gone viral again.
“Since you seem to have forgotten 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,” Johnson begins in the “roommate contract.” “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.”
She adds, “If you would like you lamps/lightbulbs or access to the internet, you will need to pay your share of the costs.”
The conditions in the note called for Aaron to pay for rent and utilities, and also required him to cook his own meals and routinely clean around the house.
Johnson then signs off, “Love, Mom.”
Repossession
The mom, who lives in Venice Italy, said when her son saw the note on his door, he crumpled it up, tossed it on the floor and stormed out of the apartment.
The kid just needed some time to think and she needed time to repossess some of the property in his room.
“Once he had time to think about his wrongs, he asked what he could do to start re-earning privileges,” she said, adding that he later collected items from his room that she missed and after giving them to her, he asked what he could do to start earning them back.
“It was never really about having him pay me back; it was to help him gain an appreciation of what things cost. He recognized right away that he couldn’t pay rent, utilities or for food,” she explains.
Hey Folks! If you are even the least bit curious about the background of this letter, here is a link to what lead up to…
Praise Rolls In for Viral Mom’s ‘Roommate Contract’
Online users flooded the comments section of Heidi Johnson’s post, applauding her creative and firm approach to parenting.
One commenter wrote, “Great job. Nothing in that agreement is cruel — it’s a life lesson he’ll carry forever.”
Another added, “I know you’re not seeking praise or criticism, but as a fellow mom, I just have to say — you’re amazing. You gave your son the chance to learn and grow in a meaningful way.”
And perhaps the most blunt of all: “Bravo to you for acting like a parent — not a maid.”
Setting the Record Straight
But not everyone was on board. A few critics accused Heidi of publicly shaming her son. In response, she penned a thoughtful follow-up post, standing firmly by her actions.
“I’m not ashamed of what I wrote,” she began. “Teenagers will test boundaries — it’s part of growing up. They’re standing with one foot in childhood and one foot stepping into adulthood.”
She continued:
“But I can’t send my child into college or the workforce with the attitude of, ‘I’ll get to it when I get to it,’ when a boss tells him to complete a task. That’s not how the real world works.”
Heidi ended with a reminder every parent can relate to:
“Nothing in life is free. Someone, somewhere, is always making a sacrifice.”
