With back-to-school season in full swing, many parents feel the stress of getting their kids ready for a new year, and for covering all the expenses associated with school. One mom turned to Facebook to share how she taught her daughter a lesson in gratitude that has people divided.
Many parents feel the crunch when back-to-school season rolls around.
Besides trying to wrangle your family onto a schedule, there’s also the expense of getting everyone new gear and clothes for the upcoming year.
There are many families who can’t afford to provide their children with school supplies.
Their children have to get by with a few essentials or depend on the kindness of school supply donations.
There are many parents who will do whatever they can to ensure that their kids have the supplies they need.
Many parents will choose to put off purchases for themselves so they they can afford those extra expenses at the start of the school season.
Recently, one mom took to Facebook to explain what happened when her daughter didn’t like her new pencil case.
Haley Hassell, a mom from Florida, shared the “tough love” lesson she taught her daughter, Presleigh, in a Facebook post that’s gone viral.
According to Haley, she went to three different stores to find the exact pencil case that Presleigh wanted.
Haley also revealed that she supports Presleigh on her own and works hard to provide her with what she needs.
I’m sure a lot of moms can relate to her story.
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However, Presleigh’s reaction to the new pencil case wasn’t what Haley expected.
“…she stared at it and threw it in the trash and slammed the bedroom door. She yelled ‘that’s stupid, everyone in my class has that..I don’t want it anymore!’”
Haley said that she was trying to keep her cool since she had spent so much time and money finding the pencil case.
Many parents know how hard it can be to keep your own anger in check when your kid starts acting out.
Since Presleigh was acting so “ungrateful”, her mom wanted her to learn a lesson from this situation.
Teaching children to be grateful for the things they have or are given is one of the toughest lessons parents have to teach their kids.
Haley said she decided to give her daughter a “wake-up” call.
Haley gave Presleigh this Ziploc bag to use as her pencil case and instructed her to retrieve the other pencil case out of the trash.
Of course, Presleigh was not too happy about this situation.
Once she realized that she had missed her chance and would be using a Ziploc bag, she tried to turn the situation around. Haley was firm with her decision, though.
She told her daughter that they would be giving the pencil case away to a child who needs it and can’t afford school supplies.
“I explained to her she’s not entitled to anything special and she is taking for granted how lucky she is…,” Haley said in her post.
It looks like Haley will be staying firm in her decision and Presleigh will use the Ziploc bag for the time being.
“So for now she will be using a ziploc bag & will personally be delivering the nice box to a child that could benefit from it,” Haley said.
Haley wants her daughter to learn the importance of gratitude from this experience.
“Maybe I overreact sometimes but I would’ve done anything to have all the things she does as a child,” she said.
Since sharing her story online, it’s been shared nearly 60,000 times and has garnered hundreds of comments.
Many people praised Haley for her parenting and thought this experience would be valuable for Presleigh.
Many Facebook users believed that this was an appropriate response to Presleigh’s behavior.
Many commenters thought that this was a great way to teach a child how to appreciate the things they have.
Other parents empathized with Haley showing her daughter some tough love.
Disciplining your children sucks, but at the end of the day, it’s important.
However, some parents thought Haley’s punishment was too harsh.
One Facebook user called Haley a “monster mom” and said that she didn’t care about her daughter’s feelings.
Some took issue with the fact that Haley shared her story on Facebook to begin with.
“…the situation should have just been handled in private. And not broadcasted for all of facebook to see,” said one Facebook comment on Haley’s post.
Overall, many people were on Haley’s side and didn’t think this experience would have a negative effect on Presleigh.
When it comes to”tough love” punishments many parents are divided these days, which is why Haley’s story probably got so much attention. What do you think about her decision?
h/t: Facebook | Haley Hassell
