Estella Havisham only intended for her Facebook post to be seen by her friends and family when she made the decision to try to teach her little son a lesson about acting his age (figuratively).
She was unaware that her account had a “public” viewing option, which meant that her letter immediately went viral. Before she realised it, it had become widely known and had gone viral as a result of the positive responses it received from individuals all around the world.
In the letter, her son – named Aaron – was rebuked for trying to be an adult before his time. Estella was fed up with her 13-year-old trying to make his own rules, and so warned him that if he continued she would begin to give him responsibilities more suited to his desired status.
The fed-up mom stated that he would be expected to stump up his share of the food bill, rent for the house, and any ‘maid service’ she provided, which presumably includes making dinners and doing his washing.
The letter reads: “I guess you will need 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 IO bought for you in the past. If you would like your lamp/ light bulbs or access to the internet, you will need to pay your share of the costs.”
“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.”
Many online commenters commended her for the way she raised her children, while others felt she was too strict.Soon, Estella’s letter had been posted 160,000 times and got 85,000 likes on Facebook. After being criticised for “shaming” him online, she responded to the criticism by saying:
“Why humiliate him in public? I’m not. An accident occurred. I intended to post to only my immediate family and friends, so yesterday I was perplexed as to why I had received over 100 friend requests. I honestly believed that my account had been compromised in some way. Yes, I could remove it, but by this time, so many people have already read and seen it.
Many users of social media praised her firm position right away. Furthermore, it seems to have succeeded. The mother and son reportedly have a contract in place to keep Aaron in control, and he has picked up on her new guidelines. However, it appears that the letter was successful because Heidi and Aaron have now developed a contract with guidelines that Aaron appears to abide with.
“I’m not a bully dictator trying to ‘control’ my child. I am a parent who has every RIGHT to have rules, expectations, and consequences for my child.”
Consider you the mother went too far? Or was it okay for her to use her parental authority to set boundaries, requirements, and penalties for her own child?
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