Mom Learns Her Rich Son Bullies Classmate for Being Poor, Sends Him to Goodwill with Only $20
Money is a powerful tool. If abused, it is a dangerous weapon. One young bully was already beginning to hurt others with his rich upbringing. But, his mom was ready to give him some tough love. Hopefully, he wasn't too far gone.
It was 2018, and Cierra Brittany Forney from Georgia was fuming. Her 12-year-old son, Anthony Forney, was out of control.
She learned he had been making fun of other kids because they were poor. The young boy targeted children who got their clothes from GoodWill instead of expensive stores like himself.
[Left] Anthony Forney at GoodWill buying clothes; [Right] Cierra Brittany Forney with her children. | Source: facebook.com/cierra.forney facebook.com/fox5atlanta
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
But, what truly brought Cierra to her endpoint was Anthony's attitude toward driving in her husband's older car. The boy felt embarrassed. His mom remembered:
"It's a 20-year-old Honda, and he wanted [my son] Anthony to go with him somewhere. And Anthony didn't want to be seen driving around in the car. That was sort of the last straw."
She decided to teach him a lesson he would never forget. Not only that, but Cierra shared this story on Facebook. She was completely unaware of the social media storm coming her way.
TOUGH LOVE
In her status, she said she gave Anthony $20.00 to shop at GoodWill. Cierra explained that he would have to wear these clothes to school the whole week.
The mother explained that her pre-teen did cry. But, the mom said she thinks he will benefit from this lesson when he is older.
THE RUMBLES BEGIN
Of course, people responded to this post, but Cierra was shocked to see it go viral. She also didn't expect the extreme comments she received.
Another person said Cierra has "sadistic impulses." and lacks "self-control."
Many remarked that she is a wonderful mother. Others said she taught Anthony to be entitled and accused her of criticizing GoodWill.
CIERRA'S RESPONSE
Cierra didn't take these comments lying down. She created a follow-up post addressing people's reactions. The mother wrote:
"It wasn't to show him that GoodWill isn't a good place to shop. I did this to teach him that money and name brands don't change who we are as people."
At the same time, she did admit that she and her spouse are somewhat responsible for Anthony's bullying. Cierra said that they spoiled him when he was young.
The mother explained that these misguided actions came from attempting to give her pre-teen everything they couldn't have when they were younger.
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Cierra said she loves GoodWill and bought her first pair of sunglasses there. The mom stated, there is only one thing that matters:
"I DO NOT care what anyone has to say about my post because I SOLEY did this to help my son become a better man. My son has learned a valuable lesson from this, AND my son is rockin' his button-up shirt he bought from the Goodwill with PRIDE today!!! [sic]"
Of course, another storm began brewing. The post has since drawn in nearly 6000 reactions, 2020 shares, and 1800 comments.
YOU CAN NEVER WIN
These comments were mostly positive, with many praising the mom for handling her son's bad attitude. However, some people continued to criticize her. Grania Haigh wrote:
"So, you make the mistake of raising the child in a way that produces unpleasant ways of being, then, not only do you blame him for it, but you chose to shame him publically too?"
Another person said Cierra has "sadistic impulses." and lacks "self-control," but overall, the love drowned out all the negative comments.
Individuals’ comments on a Facebook post by Cierra Brittany Forney. | Source: facebook.com/cierra.forney
DID HE LEARN HIS LESSON?
Her son Anthony also spoke about the experience. The pre-teen said that in the beginning, he was angry. He didn't like the way the clothes looked on him. But, he expressed:
"I didn't want to be there, but it really did change me. I realize I was just being a brat, and you should just be thankful for what you already have."
As we said, money is a powerful tool. It can help someone control things and people. It can also make some feel as though they are better than others.
But, whether you have $1.00 in your pocket or $10,000,000 in your bank account, your worth remains the same – not defined by something as minor as numbers. That realization is where the true power lies.
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