Parents Do Not Agree About High School's Sign Asking Them To Stop Bringing In Forgotten Items For Their Children

Aug 14, 2019

We all want to teach our kids about personal responsibility and the consequences of bad decisions. No parent wants to raise a child who's not self-sufficient and ready to take on the challenges that life might present them.

However, some parents are locked in a fierce debate over whether or not one Arkansas school took the concept of "teaching kids to fend for themselves" way too far. One all-boys high school posted a sign on its front door that shocked some local parents to their core.

The sign tells parents that if they're there to drop off a textbook or a sack lunch that their son forgot, they should turn around and leave. "Your son will learn to problem-solve in your absence," the sign finishes.

One enraged parent snapped a pic of the sign and posted it on social media, where it proceeded to go viral. Parents in the local community were already debating the merits of this sign's message, but now parents across the globe are also locked in a fiery debate as to whether or not this sign sends a positive message.

Parents who disagree with the sign argue that kids make mistakes and shouldn't have to suffer because of them. If a boy forgets his lunch, he shouldn't have to go hungry when his mother can easily drop it off for him. If a boy forgets a textbook, his studies might suffer if his parents can't drop by to get it to him.

However, other parents agree strongly with the sign's message of tough love.

"These aren't elementary school kids. It's a high school. High school students should be encouraged to be responsible and come to school prepared. And clearly they had a problem with helicopter parents that warranted this kind of extreme posting," said one commenter on the post.

"Helicopter parents" refer to parents who are constantly hovering over their children and who are always at the ready to rescue them when they screw up.

On the other hand, some commenters are in opposition to this policy.

"The average kid has a million things on his mind these days. Forgetting a lunch, books, etc. every now and then is HUMAN. I'd appreciate that the kid/parent actually cared about bringing in the forgotten item." remarked one commenter.

We can see both sides of the argument. Kids need to learn how to take care of themselves, but they still need room to make mistakes. Let us know your opinion about this hot button topic down in the comments below.