One of the most difficult responsibilities a person can take on is raising children, especially when it comes to raising teenagers. Although each stage of cold care has its own difficulties, raising teenagers is a completely different challenge. Using the pseudonym Suspicious-Room5169, the Redditor described an encounter between her teenage daughter and their babysitter.
In December 2021, Suspicious-Room5169 shared her teenage daughter’s troubling story with the AITA community to see if her punishment strategy was over the top. A Redditor described how she unexpectedly walked in on her daughter, who was being rude to the babysitter. Asking other users if they were wrong, the mom went on to describe the punishment she and her husband gave their teenage daughter for misbehaving.
A poster on Reddit gave a basic explanation of how she and her husband raised their children before they got into the story. She revealed that they had three children: an 8-year-old daughter named Zoe, a son named Paul, who was 10, and a daughter named Bea, who was 13. The OP (the original poster) further stated that her husband raised them well and took good care of them as well. As a result, their family never experienced poverty and could always afford what they wanted.
The OP went on to say that she is grateful for everything her husband has accomplished and “always made sure I let my kids know that we are very lucky and very spoiled.” Mom continued:
“I always had my kids pack up their old clothes or other things so we could give them to people in need. I believed I was doing them a favor by developing empathy and appreciating how lucky we are.”
However, one of the children did not seem to take her lesson seriously. Adding her two cents, she said, “Well, I guess I failed as a mother.” In the update, the Redditor shared details about her personal life and that of her husband. She said that she grew up and needed the help of young people. She specified:
“When it was good I lived in foster care, when it was really bad I lived where I could. I put in a lot of effort and continued to work until I had a child to take care of.”
In contrast, the Redditor’s husband was raised by well-to-do parents, and her mother-in-law never “worked a day in her life.” Bee, the OP’s now teenage daughter, was about 6 weeks old when her father-in-law tragically died. She went on to say that her mother-in-law had little interest in her children’s lives and never loved children.
She went on to describe her husband’s family as “extremely spoiled brats”, in contrast to how her husband was “sweet, loving and understanding”. She also mentioned how her husband spent a lot of time with his nanny when he was younger and “always really appreciated what she gave him.”
OP added that while they had little contact with her MIL when their first child was 13, she unexpectedly caught her attention. She wrote:
“Hubby and I agree it’s something we’ll keep an eye on and he’ll try to talk to Mum about it,” she said.
The mother of three gave a brief account of her family’s history before telling the story of her teenage daughter’s extraordinary exploits.
She specified:
“A few days ago, when I got home early, I heard my oldest yelling at our nanny. She was yelling, ‘You’re a maid, that’s what we pay you to do, clean up after our family, do your job.’
When the nanny later clarified that she had just asked Bea to “put her dirty clothes in the basket so she could start washing,” the OP commented that these statements made the nanny cry. The nanny had been a pillar of strength for the Redditor’s family for 13 years, so she was surprised.
She reacted coldly in front of her daughter and ordered the girl to her room. However, the penalty fell. Mom revealed:
“My husband and I decided that the best punishment for our daughter would be to keep her electronics, have her spend weekends volunteering at a youth center for underprivileged children, and write a detailed apology letter to our babysitter. and require her to take care of herself and her duties. She and I sat down and discussed everything with her.
To test their daughter’s understanding, the OP and her husband decided to observe her for four weeks. In retrospect, Bea informed OP’s MIL and her husband’s family objected to the sentence. However, the OP’s family was in favor.
On Reddit, where the story was shared, many users praised the mother for her parenting and disciplining approach. Some applauded her for being consistent and teaching her daughter a valuable lesson about empathy and respect. One user commented: “It’s actually perfect parenting if you ask me.” Another said: “She overstepped in an extremely cruel way and now she has to deal with the consequences. Well done, I think you’ve done a great job.”
Despite the support of many users, questions remained as to whether the punishment was justified and how the family dynamic would evolve in response to these events. Some suggested that the mother-in-law did not influence how children were raised and emphasized the importance of boundaries in extended family relationships.
In conclusion, this Reddit post serves as a reminder of the complexities of parenting, especially when dealing with teenagers. It emphasizes the importance of instilling values such as empathy and gratitude in children and addressing disrespectful behavior when it occurs. The story also highlights the challenges of navigating family dynamics, especially when there are different parenting philosophies within extended families. Ultimately, the Reddit user’s actions reflect her determination to teach her children important life lessons, even in the face of difficult circumstances.