A woman expressed regret after telling her 10-year-old son she “hated” him because she caught him being “horrible to his little brother.”
The mother of two took to the British parenting blog. Momsnet to explain how guilty she felt for saying those strong words and even called herself the “worst mother in the world.”
She recounted how her emotions were running high that night due to the sudden loss of her mother, causing her to say out loud to her husband, “Sometimes I hate that boy,” which her son overheard.
She said she immediately apologized to her son and that the ordeal has deeply affected her to the point that she can no longer sleep.
But a wave of support has since poured in for the mother, with many sending their condolences for their deceased mother. Meanwhile, others have debated whether the preteen had learned a valuable lesson by being naughty.
A woman has expressed remorse by telling her 10-year-old son she “hated” him after catching him misbehaving and being “horrible to his little brother” (File Image)
Entering the forum, he wrote: ‘I can’t sleep. Tonight my son, 10 years old, was behaving very badly and was very mean to his younger brother.
‘My mother also just passed away, so emotions are running high. I went to the kitchen and told my husband, “You take care of him. I hate that kid sometimes.”
She then revealed that the young man was unknowingly following her and unfortunately heard everything she said.
She then felt consumed by an overwhelming sense of regret, as evidenced by her post. She continued: ‘I feel terrible. Obviously I didn’t mean I hated it.
‘I hated how he was acting at the time. I apologized immediately. I told him that it was unacceptable for me to talk about him like that.
‘I said I didn’t mean to and he said it out of frustration. I told him that he was upset by his behavior but that he loved him and always would.
“I know I’m the worst mother in the world and I hope you tell me that.”
He concluded by asking the forum for advice on how best to “fix this” as well as guidance on what to do next.
The mother-of-two took to British parenting blog Mumsnet to explain how guilty she felt for saying those strong words and even called herself the “worst mother in the world.”
One person, believed to be a father, saw nothing wrong: ‘Oh love, you’ve handled it completely well. I’m so sorry for the loss of your mom. Your son will be fine. Take care of yourself’.
Alluding to the outburst being his son’s fault, another person said: ‘Maybe now he’ll think twice before being horrible to his little brother.’
While one mother approved of the one-off crime, she also warned the user to “never” commit it again. She wrote: ‘Don’t apologize too much. He will be suspicious! Make sure he knows exactly what you are apologizing for. Make sure he knows that you don’t hate him, that you love him more than anything, but also make him understand that his behavior has consequences.
‘This is different than him being responsible for your feelings! He is not. But he’s not too young to know that pressuring people can have consequences (as he learned tonight) and that he needs to learn to be aware of people other than himself. He is 10 years old, he will take time, but we all impact the people around us.
And he concluded: “Never, never say it again.” This was your only pass. You didn’t mean it anyway, don’t say things you don’t mean. It doesn’t deserve this uncertainty. I’m sorry for the loss of your dear mother.’
Since then, an outpouring of sympathy has poured in for the mother, with many sending their condolences for her deceased mother. Meanwhile, others have debated whether the preteen had learned a valuable lesson by being naughty.
Another person agreed that it wasn’t best to apologize too much, writing: “I’m so sorry to hear about your mom.”
‘I would have said, “I don’t hate you, I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry. I’m very, very frustrated with you, I’m sick of your nasty behavior towards your brother. You’re 10 years old.” Old enough to know better! I expect better from you!”
“Don’t keep apologizing or you’ll effectively be giving him permission to act like a little shit.”
Another added: “I would tell him you love him but sometimes you hate his behavior.”
Elsewhere, one person praised her parenting skills: ‘You seem like an amazing mother. My mother would never have apologized to me for something like that nor would she have taken the time to try to rectify the situation. I’m very sorry about your mother.’
Meanwhile someone else advised: ‘Don’t you teach your children to use the word “hate”? Maybe apply that to the whole house. Now you will have to deal with him thinking that you prefer the younger brother.