Gina Heslop
A mother shared a story about her 14-year-old son who felt embarrassed by his parents. For the past two years, he asked them to drop him off a block away from his destinations so his friends wouldn’t see him with them.
He didn’t want his parents to come to his games or walk with him in public places. Although they hoped this behavior would pass, it only got worse. The son treated his parents well when he wanted something from them but otherwise acted disrespectfully.
One day, after driving 40 minutes to pick him up from a school event, the son made his mom wait a block away so no one would see him with her. When he finally got in the car, he hid and told her to drive.
The mother had tried to explain how his actions made them feel, but he didn’t seem to care. Finally, she decided she had enough and wanted to teach him a lesson.
That night, he needed a new t-shirt, so she drove him to the store. On the way, she told him to “Duck!” and pushed his head down, pretending to avoid being seen by an old college friend. When he asked why, she said she was embarrassed to be seen with him.
At the store, she walked quickly ahead and asked him to keep a distance in case she saw someone she knew. He understood what she was doing and admitted it didn’t feel good to be treated that way.
The next morning, she took him to get a bus pass, telling him he would now take the bus to avoid being seen in a car with her.
At the transit office, she made a point of expressing her regret at being seen with him and instructed him to wait by the door and not speak. She hoped this would help him understand how hurtful his behavior was.
The mother shared this with her sister, who was angry and believed the mom should be more understanding, saying it was just a phase that the son would eventually outgrow.
However, the mother felt that two years was long enough to tolerate such behavior and was tired of it. She hoped her actions would make her son realize the impact of his actions and change his behavior.
