Bullying still remains a serious issue to this day, despite the numerous social programs and campaigns that are pushing away the tide of abuse among children.
And while everyone is responsible for fostering an environment without bullying where kids are safe at school, it’s the parents that are often most responsible for dealing with the issue.
Which is exactly what this one mother did with her son who bullied those coming from families that aren’t that well off compared to his own.
More Info: Reddit
While bullying is a universal problems, it's often the parents who end up trying to solve the issue
Image credits: alinafashionshop (not the actual photo)
Reddit user u/throwawayaghkuh shared a story of hers with the Am I The A-Hole community, asking just that: was she wrong for making her son give up his “signifiers” of wealth at school because he was poking fun at other kids for being less wealthy?
The story goes that the single mom (dad’s not really involved too much, but pays child support) one day found out from the school administration that her son was bullying others for being poor.
And this mom did, sharing her story of trying to teach her son a lesson about why it's not cool to bully others
You see, she was well off, and there was child support on top of it, so the kid really had something to show in school regarding clothes and whatnot. So, to teach him a lesson, the mom decided she’d take it all away.
Instead of wearing designer brand clothes, he was now thrift shopping. Instead of being driven to school in the regular Porsche/Jaguar, he was now taken in a ’92 Jeep that had seen better days. Instead of being bought personal sports equipment, he was now supposed to use the club’s things. You get the idea.
All of this was to teach the kid that he is just lucky he was born into a well-off family, and making fun of someone who just happened to be less lucky is just plain mean.
Needless to say, the kid wasn’t happy about it. He lost his status among friends, so much in fact that the parents of his friends didn’t want their kids to enter the beat-up Jeep because of how supposedly unsafe it was. “It was embarrassing for him to pretend he’s poor,” explained the mom.
And the dissatisfaction didn’t end there, as word got around and suddenly the dad showed up, saying that the punishment was not fair because “impressions matter” and that will affect the rest of his life.
This is where she asked the internet to explain if she’s in the wrong here. And the general consensus was that she wasn’t wrong. While it was unclear how long the punishment lasted, people thought it was an appropriate way to punish the child all the while teaching him how it feels to be called poor.
Image credits: throwawayaghkuh
And the dissatisfaction didn’t end there, as word got around and suddenly the dad showed up, saying that the punishment was not fair because “impressions matter” and that will affect the rest of his life.
This is where she asked the internet to explain if she’s in the wrong here. And the general consensus was that she wasn’t wrong. While it was unclear how long the punishment lasted, people thought it was an appropriate way to punish the child all the while teaching him how it feels to be called poor.
The internet was of a general consensus that the mom did the right thing with her chosen punishment
The post received a modest, but significant amount of attention as AITA posts go, garnering over 11,000 upvotes with a good handful of Reddit awards—over 80.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think her punishment was too harsh, not harsh enough, or just right? Let us know in the comment section below!