A Mom Made Her Teen Son Shop At Goodwill, But Then She Publicly Shamed Him Online

During their formative years, children are taught a number of important life lessons by their parents. Cierra Brittany Forney can certainly attest to that, as she looked to impart some humbleness upon her teenage son. However, after taking him to a Goodwill store, the mom then shamed him on Facebook.

Forney and her husband are the proud parents of three children named Anthony, Maddox and Malahnia. Despite having been born and raised in Florida, Forney opted to make a change, relocating herself and her family to Georgia. And after that, the mom started an exciting new venture.

Indeed, Forney founded Mom + Crew, an online shop that sells a variety of products, including t-shirts, mugs and tumblers, for both adults and children. And given that the store traded online, Forney was able to run the business from the comfort of her own home, which is an ambition she had consistently harbored.

However, with Mom + Crew’s online presence continuing to grow, Forney’s parenting skills were put to the test in March 2018. According to the mom, her teenage son Anthony was showing some signs of snobbishness at that time. So with that in mind, she devised an intriguing plan.

Based on some spiteful remarks that Anthony made at school regarding the Goodwill store, Forney put her idea into motion. “So lately, my 13-year-old son had been acting a little…entitled,” she wrote on Facebook in March 2018. “Acting like he’s too good to shop at Walmart, or making snarky comments about kids at school who shop at the Goodwill and quite a few other things.”

“I don’t tolerate that,” Forney stated. On that note, she explained what she made Anthony do. “Today, he took his own $20 to the Goodwill to buy clothes to wear the entire week to school,” she wrote. “Whatever he found is what he would have to wear.”

Given his apparent attitude toward the situation, Anthony wasn’t best pleased with his mother’s stern instructions. “He isn’t happy and shed a few tears,” Forney posted. “But I firmly believe in 15 years he will look back and laugh at the day his mom made him shop at Goodwill.”

Alongside the Facebook post, Forney included a photo of Anthony with the clothes he bought at the store, appearing less than enthusiastic. However, she then revealed the lesson behind their trip. “I want to teach my kids that money isn’t everything,” she wrote.

“If you have to degrade other people because of where they shop, then you too will shop there,” Forney added. “Side note, I love the Goodwill!” However, not even she could’ve predicted what happened next, as her words clearly made an impression on social media.

Before long, Forney’s post went viral, earning more than 700,000 likes and close to 300,000 shares on Facebook. Additionally, her words also generated over 150,000 comments, with several online users praising the lesson she was trying to teach her children.

“Bravo mom, take a bow,” wrote one user. “That is outstanding. Kind of like [what] my mom said, God bless her soul. ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’”

Another supporter also hailed Forney’s parenting skills. “You’re an awesome mom,” they commented. “Unfortunately you’re one of a rare breed. Too many parents let kids continue this kind of behavior without a second thought. Thank you for actually parenting your child!” However, Forney’s actions weren’t praised by everyone.

“So Mom is posting this, knowing it will humiliate [her son],” wrote one person. “Why? So Mom gets some attention on Facebook? Maybe parenting should have been a priority earlier.”

As the post continued to blow up on social media, Forney’s lesson was picked up by several major news outlets. Indeed, the likes of Fox News and BBC News covered the story. And so with that in mind, the mom decided to write a follow-up two days later, looking to clarify a few things.

“When I made the post about taking my son to Goodwill, I made it to share with my family and friends on my own Facebook,” Forney posted. “A few people asked me if they could share it, since they too agreed with the lesson I was trying to teach my son. I had no idea this would happen.”

After claiming that she got Anthony’s permission before making the post, Forney then revealed the impact it had on him. “My son learned a valuable lesson from this, and I believe it is just another story we can add to our lives’ memory to look back on,” she wrote. “I didn’t do this to punish him.”

“It wasn’t to show him that Goodwill isn’t a good place to shop,” Forney continued. “I did this to teach him that money and name brands don’t change who we are as people. He can still be the amazing, adorable, loved kid that he is without the expensive stores!”

On that note, Forney then reflected on Anthony’s upbringing, suggesting that his sense of entitlement was a result of her parenting. “I do realize that we are partly to blame for his expectancy of always having name brands,” she wrote. “My husband and myself had our son when we were very young.”

“We always strived to give him all the things we never had,” Forney added. “And because of that, he has grown to expect these things.” From there, the mom went on to praise Goodwill, before scolding those who intimated that Anthony would grow to resent her due to the original Facebook post.

“All the positive feedback and comments have brought me to tears, and so have all the negative ones,” Cierra concluded. “All that matters is my son is completely 100 percent okay with what happened. 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!”