'Petty' Mom Praised for Refusing to Act Like Parent to Teenage Son

A mother has been praised for refusing to act like a parent to her son after he pondered out loud that his life would be better without her.

In a viral post shared on Reddit's Am I The A**hole group, which can be seen here, user Dancingavatar102 explained she does everything for her 14-year-old son.

The mother, 35, said her son had "been acting out a little" recently. When she became concerned her son might have been experiencing bullying and asked him about his recent actions, he told her that "14-year-olds should act out a little."

She continued to explain that he had been swearing at her, his father, and his teacher. When she started to discipline him, her son said: "My life would be better if I didn't have a mother."

The Reddit user's predicament is one likely shared by many parents, but experts have advice for dealing with difficult teenage behavior. According to Newport Academy, a mental health program for teenagers and younger children, there are several things that parents can do, which include:

• Setting limits and boundaries where you all agree on shared values;
• Writing down a written agreement that establishes guidelines and boundaries;
• Agreeing on consequences, so the teenager knows what will happen when rules are broken; and
• Avoiding severe punishment as these can make things worse and make your teenager withdraw further.

In her post, the Reddit user said: "I was extremely hurt. I said 'okay' and went on with my day. I prepared dinner for myself and his father. Not for my son. When my son smelt food, he came downstairs and asked where his was. I responded 'I made dinner for myself and your dad, since life is easier without a mom there's some heatable food in the freezer.'"

She continued: "My son went absolutely crazy. He stormed into his room and did not come out until today morning. Normally, I would take him to school but today I did not. He came downstairs expecting his breakfast that I make for him every morning but there wasn't any.

"He said 'where's my breakfast?' I responded, 'your mother would normally do that for you. But if life is easier without one you'll need to prepare your own breakfast. Also, take the bus to and from school.'"

The Reddit user claimed her son told her mother-in-law that she refused to do anything and complained she was being "petty."

Since being uploaded on Tuesday, the post has attracted some 7,300 upvotes and more than 665 comments.

The majority of those who commented on the post praised the mother and agreed it was a fair way to discipline her child.

One Reddit user, whose comment was upvoted 7,500 times, said: "NTA [not the a**hole], it's not like you actually deprived him of anything. He still had access to food and a way to get to school.

"It was definitely petty, but he wasn't harmed in any way and maybe sometimes you to fight fire with fire."

Another added: "You weren't petty, you were showing him what life without a mother would be like. And it didn't take long for him to change his ways. Next time he wants to 'fit in' he'll remember this and make the right decision. NTA."

A third posted: "He f**ked around and found out. The punishment fit the crime. You are NTA."

After the post was shared online, the Reddit user explained that her son later apologized and added that he just wanted to fit in with some friends at school.

Newsweek reached out to Dancingavatar102 for comment.