Most adults know that being a grown-up isn’t as simple as it seems to a child.
Kids might see things like food in the fridge, a comfy home, and unlimited internet, but they often don’t understand the work it takes to have those things. One mom decided to teach her disrespectful son a funny, “real world” lesson to show him that “nothing comes for free.”
In 2015, Heidi Johnson was struggling with her defiant 13-year-old son, Aaron. She explained that Aaron “wanted the benefits of growing up without the responsibility that comes with it.”
Aaron had started making a little bit of money as a YouTuber and thought he didn’t have to follow his mom’s rules about doing his homework. He even stormed out of her room, saying he was a “free person” because he was “making money.”
In response to his behavior, the single mother wrote a “tough love” letter to Aaron and shared it on Facebook. Almost ten years later, her post has gone viral again.
Johnson’s note begins, “Since you seem to have forgotten that you’re only 13, and I’m the parent, and that you don’t want to be controlled, I guess you need a lesson in independence.” In what she called a “roommate contract,” she laid out the rules Aaron would need to follow if he wanted to act like an adult.
She continued, “Since you’re earning money now, it should be easier for you to pay back for everything I’ve bought for you.” Johnson added that if he wanted things like his lamp, lightbulbs, or access to the internet, he’d have to pay his part of the costs.
In her letter, Johnson listed the conditions Aaron would need to follow, including paying for rent and utilities. She also expected him to cook his own meals and help with regular cleaning around the house.
Johnson signed the letter, “Love, Mom.”
Taking Action
Living in Venice, Italy, Johnson shared that when Aaron saw the letter taped to his door, he crumpled it up, threw it on the floor, and stormed out of their apartment.
Johnson felt he just needed some time to think—and she used that time to start taking back some of the things from his room.
Once Aaron had time to think, he asked his mom what he could do to start re-earning his privileges. He even gathered more items from his room and handed them to her, asking how he could earn them back.
Johnson explained that this was never about making him pay her back; it was about teaching him to understand the cost of things. Aaron quickly realized he couldn’t afford rent, utilities, or food on his own.
Online commenters supported her approach, praising her for her creative discipline style. One person wrote, “Great job! Nothing in the agreement is harsh, but it will teach him a lesson he’ll remember.” Another said, “You’re an amazing mom for giving your son a chance to learn and grow.” A third comment added, “Bravo for being a parent and not just a maid.”
Some people accused her of publicly shaming her son. In response, Johnson wrote another post saying she was “not ashamed” of what she did.
“A teenager will push their limits,” she explained. “They’re in a stage where they’re stepping into adulthood but still rooted in childhood… I can’t send this child into college or the workforce with an attitude of ‘I’ll get to it when I feel like it’ when a boss asks him to get a job done. That’s how the real world works.”
Johnson ended by saying, “Nothing in life is free. Somewhere, someone is making a sacrifice.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jon Bon Jovi and his family for their tragic loss
Days before her birthday, Jon Bon Jovi’s mother Carol Bongiovi passed away.
She was dubbed a “force to be reckoned with” by the singer.
JON Three days prior to being eighty-three, Bon Jovi’s mother, Carol Bongiovi, passed away.
Jon, 62, spoke empathetically about Carol following her death on Tuesday at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey.
Jon told PEOPLE, “Our mother was a force to be reckoned with; her spirit and can-do attitude shaped this family.”
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“We will miss her terribly.”
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Carol, a former Playboy bunny, founded the fan club for her son’s band.
She met her future husband, John Bongiovi, Sr., after she enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1959.
After relocating, they reared their children in Sayreville, New Jersey.
Following that, they relocated to Holmdel, New Jersey, where she lived until her passing.
It was reported that Holmdel Funeral Home will oversee Carol’s private funeral.
Her three children, Jon, Anthony, and Matthew, as well as her 63-year-old husband, will miss her.
Jon has previously stated that when he was a child and desired to be a musician, his parents provided him with “incredible support.”
In November 2020, he said, “Even if you weren’t good at your craft, you could work on it if you thought you were,” to The Big Issue.
“As I grew older, I realized how wonderful my parents’ gift to me was.
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“They genuinely believed John F. Kennedy was directing them to travel to the moon.” “You can go to the moon, of course.” Just go, John. I visited that place.
The performer told about how his parents used to take him to concerts when he was seventeen.
When Jon was seventeen, his parents allowed him to perform at events, which allowed him to pursue his aspirations.
“They were always there for me, which was amazing looking back,” he remarked.
“Because I could have to be at school at eight o’clock and get home at one or two in the morning.”
“They just told me to go to school on time, you know that’s my responsibility, but follow your dreams.”
The girl Jon fell in love with in high school, Dorothea Hurley, is the wife he married.
Together, they are parents to three sons, Jesse, Jake, and Romeo, and a thirty-one-year-old daughter, Stephanie.
Model Jake wed Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown in a tiny, private ceremony in May 2024, according to the first story from The Sun.
The parents of Millie and Jon attended the little wedding.
He expressed his excitement for the wedding to The Sun the week prior.
“My grandchildren will have more English ancestry than Italian or any other heritage I may have” That must be absurd, right? The musician screamed.
“Your kids are married and talking to you about having grandchildren all of a sudden? Wow!” In my book, this is the longest chapter.
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