Moms Tries to Embarrass Her Son to Better Grades as the World Watches

Right on for this parent! I'm so tired of "experts" telling parents they have to put up with lazy, unmotivated, entitled kids--"just show them love and everything will be fine". It is becoming a scary world when every type of discipline a parent tries is being called "abusive". She obviously seems to be like the rest of us--a caring parent who is frustrated at the unwillingness of her child to do the right thing. And the kid himself said he understood why his mother did it. When my daughter was about 6, she stole something from the grocery store. We took her back to the store and made her give it back to the manager. Sure she was upset and humiliated. But she never stole again. I guess by today's standards, this would be considered abusive. Look around everyone, the "touchy-feely everybody's a winner" mentality just isn't working out so great!

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It's certainly creative. Hasn't this been used as punishment for shoplifting before? I don't see how making a kid hold a sign saying "I stole from this business" is okay and making a kid hold a sign that says "I didn't even get a 2.0 this semester" isn't. Same thing to me and certainly a way to get the message across. I definitely don't consider it abusive or traumatic. He'll survive the experience and if he knows mom isn't shitting around when she tells him "good grades or else" then maybe he'll work harder.

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I applaud this mother for caring enough to try to shame her child into doing better. What is worse, holding a sign that shows his mother loves him and wants better for him or finding him dead in the ditch from dealing and taking drugs??? The problem with today's youth is there are no consequences for anything, just excuses...Children do not know how to be responsible when everyone keeps telling them "it's not your fault...."

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I'm inclined to not approve of her methods, but that aside, I think its ridiculous that she's upset over the outcome. When you "air your dirty laundry" to the public, you can't control how others react to it. Some people applauded her efforts, but others found it abuse and she might be held legally responsible. Besides, there was so much written on that sign, there's no way I could have ever read it if I drove past.

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And how do we know it isn't the result of "learning difficulties" i.e math, spelling, reading issues? if he had bad grades maybe he is struggling with certain subjects that others seem to excel in in my opinion it would be a better stance as a parent to look into Sylvan Learning Center or 1 on 1 tutor to help identify the weaknesses the student faces instead of blaming it on the person for being lazy, stupid, etc...

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Good for her! She is probably doing more than the school is doing for her young man. As a parent I can identify with doing whatever is necessary for motivating your child. Get him before he ends up on the street corner, jail or dead.

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Parents that behave this way are part of the reason that kids turn out poorly. This isn't tough love, wake the hell up people. The emotionally scarring actions taken by this woman will end up doing much more harm than good, as such a punishment isn't really likely to make him reform. Kids will decide what to do on their own. An extreme punishment isn't really more effective than a lesser one; it isn't about teaching a lesson. Motivation by force is never truly effective. Instead, she should be working to actually help the kid in a positive manner. It's more about getting the child to become motivated on his own. This isn't just a question of education, it's a question of morality. In my opinion, if you feel that a child needs to be put through such a scarring event, you don't need to be a parent.

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How do you "force" a young man of that age and size to stand there? Do you think that deep down he was diggin' the publicity? Am I too cynical?

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I am truely in the same place of doing the samething this mother did to give her son a lesson because my daughter is 14 years old and also doing the samething with her grades. I tried talking to the teachers and talking to the prinicble for advice I also let her stay after school to get the help she needs. After doing this she still doesn't do better she has to pass all her standards to past eight grade. As you can see she is not passing them at all she might have to do eight grade again because I told her that summer school was not an opioin due to no transportation. What else can a parent do to help their child if the child won't make an effort. I already tries to punish her hit her taken things away as punishment and still it doesn't work. I sat with her to help her understand the concept of her work. Please if you can help me in what shall I do because I will do what this mom did with her son. I even told my daughter that I will also put her in the streets with a sign like him. I know I am not a bad mother but what else can I do to help her if she doesn't help herself.

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Punishment? When I was a child, it was a-ok for your parent to beat you for coming home with bad grades! Certainly I would never raise a hand to my own child and don't condone that type of behavior, but he knows what is expected of him and as punishment I have grounded, taken away phone, computer, video games, etc. Did it work yes! But if I did not, would I resort to such humiliation? Perhaps, yes...why don't the authorities get involved in real abuse cases; the ones they usually ignore? Like kids being hurt and hospitalized?! Those same "so called experts" just want everyone to give their kids drugs and say they are just depressed! I commend that mom for making her son responsible for his own actions and attempting to "shock" him into the reality that without a good education, you can't get even the most menial of jobs!

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