As a mother, there’s nothing more infuriating than seeing your child taken advantage of. That’s exactly what happened when my 12-year-old son, Ethan, was asked by our neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, to mow her lawn. She promised to pay him twenty dollars, but when the job was done, she refused to cough up the cash.
At first, I thought Mrs. Johnson was just busy or forgetful, but as the days went by and Ethan approached her multiple times, only to be dismissed or told to come back later, I realized she had no intention of paying him. Her excuse? That Ethan should be grateful for the lesson in hard work and that he didn’t need the money.
I was livid. Who did Mrs. Johnson think she was, taking advantage of a child and then trying to justify it with some twisted moral lesson? I knew I had to take action, not just for Ethan’s sake but to teach Mrs. Johnson a valuable lesson about respecting others, especially children.
I enlisted the help of my friend Mark, who owned a landscaping business. I asked him to trim Mrs. Johnson’s hedges into funny shapes, just to make a point. Mark agreed, and we put our plan into action.
The next morning, I watched as Mrs. Johnson left for work, oblivious to the surprise waiting for her. Mark arrived soon after and got to work on the hedges. The result was hilarious – Mrs. Johnson’s perfectly manicured lawn now featured hedges shaped like animals and other whimsical designs.
But that was only the beginning. I had one more trick up my sleeve. I ordered three large truckloads of mulch to be delivered to Mrs. Johnson’s driveway, filling it to the brim. The neighborhood was abuzz with excitement as the mulch was unloaded, and Mrs. Johnson’s reaction was priceless.
When she returned home and saw the state of her lawn and driveway, she was furious. She marched across the street, demanding to know if I was responsible for the mess. I played dumb, of course, but the message was clear: you mess with my child, you deal with me.
In the end, Mrs. Johnson was forced to swallow her pride and pay Ethan the twenty dollars she owed him. It was a small victory, but it was a valuable lesson for both Mrs. Johnson and my son. Sometimes, standing up for what’s right requires taking a stand, even if it means making a scene. As a mother, it’s my job to protect and defend my child, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they’re treated with respect and fairness.
