A mother disciplined her daughter for not completing her chores before going on a play date. However, the punishment had many internet users divided, with some thinking it was a bit too harsh and others believing it was a good way to teach responsibility and accountability.
For some parents, completing chores is non-negotiable, and this was the case of a Mexican-American mother with the TikTok handle @lifewithruthandjordan.
The mother posted a video of her child folding clothes with the caption, “Emma thought it was OK to tell me she didn’t feel like folding her clothes before going out to play with her little friends.”
Ruth followed up on the caption, stating that she canceled her daughter’s playdate and scheduled it for the next day. She emphasized that it was important for her not to let her children do whatever they wanted.
The mother added, “They’ll eat you alive as teens if they don’t comprehend that they need to contribute to household chores, more so when it’s their clothes.” By the look of things, Ruth stood her ground, and her daughter fulfilled her duties.
However, the Mexican-American mother had the internet split, as not everyone agreed with how she handled the situation. Some commenters did not see the lesson in Ruth’s punishment and wondered if she would have chosen folding clothes over going on a play date.
While others understood that Ruth’s daughter needed to complete her chores, they still felt like the mother could have at least moved the playdate to later in the day and not canceled it completely. “I am very glad at this moment that my mother is not like that,” remarked a commenter.
Some netizens thought Ruth’s punishment might affect her daughter negatively in the future and make her associate folding clothes with bad memories. Another commenter thought the mother was a bit too strict. “You need to chill,” wrote the TikTok user.
People felt bad for the little girl, who was seen looking sad in the video as she folded through the pile of laundry. One commenter remarked, “My mom did this. I did not thank her later.”
While commenters did not agree with canceling the playdate, some thought it was also unacceptable for the mother to decide to film her child after punishing her. But Ruth also had many people support her parental decision. Netizens believed it was a great way of teaching children the value of taking care of their belongings.
Commenters who remembered being taught the same lesson said it was a great way to learn responsibility. “Responsibilities first, play second.” reiterated a TikTok user. Others said they would be following Ruth because she was the kind of mother who taught important life lessons to her children.
Therefore, to others, this did not seem like a punishment but a way to take accountability, which was something an elementary teacher in the comment section also appreciated.
Ruth was surprised by all the negative comments she received. To her, everyone in her house needed to contribute to the house, whether that was with their chores, taking care of their things, or even having respect for their parents.
The video the mother posted garnered over 140,000 comments and millions of views. Evidently, parental styles can become controversial, but each parent has a different way of teaching a specific lesson.
