Son Refuses to Go to School, So Parents Agree With 1 Condition: Pick Up and Sell Trash

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From the archives: This story was last updated in February 2019.

How should a parent respond when their child declares that he or she isn’t going to school anymore? Two parents in Thailand have been praised for their unique way of teaching their child a lesson.

In January 2018, Nuttanitcha Chotsirimeteekul, from Bangkok, and her husband had to take a day off after their oldest child refused to go to school.

Chotsirimeteekul wrote on her Facebook page that she and her husband tried to tell their then-5-year-old son why he should attend school to no avail.

The parents then decided to let him take a break for one day—to pick up rubbish. They joined him to pick up plastic and glass bottles from bins and on the streets before selling them for cash.

Chotsirimeteekul wrote that they walked about 2.2 kilometers and picked up 2 kilograms’ (approx. 4 pounds’) worth of bottles, which earned them 2 baht (approx. US$0.06).

After exchanging the bottles for cash, her son asked her, “Can we take the bus?”

“Do you have money? Taking the bus costs 10 baht,” she said.

“No,” he said.

“Then we have to find more bottles to earn more money,” Chotsirimeteekul told him.

And she was surprised when he said: “It’s ok. I’ll walk.”

Later, he told her, “I want an ice cream.”

“It costs 5 baht, do we have enough?” she asked him.

“No, I don’t want it anymore,” he replied.

Chotsirimeteekul later asked him if he was tired.

“I’m so tired, it’s so hot, I want to go home,” he said.

Chotsirimeteekul, who uploaded photos and videos showing her son looking tired, with his hair drenched with sweat, said that she wanted to help her son to cherish his education. She added that she wanted him to realize that both she and her husband will be there for him as he grows up.

Chotsirimeteekul’s Facebook post soon went viral with many Facebook users praising her for her unique approach.

“Trust me, one day he’s grown up and successful in life, he'll understand and thank you for what you gave him today,” one user wrote.

“Great mom!!!! If more moms were to be like you, our society would have been better than today,” another added.

In another video that Chotsirimeteekul shared, she asked her son, “So do you want to work or go to school?” He responded loudly with “I want to go to school!”

So, what do you think of these parents’ decision to let their son have a day off from school? After all, it wasn’t for a break but for more learning!

This is one lesson the young boy probably won’t ever forget—one that‘ll spur him to success, and one that’ll have him appreciate all the effort his parents put in for him so he can receive an education.