Being a parent to a cocky, disrespectful teenager is far from easy, and different parents have different approaches to get their children to behave.
One mom, Heidi Johnson, wrote a handwritten letter to her son, Aaron, and shared it on Facebook. She didn’t intend for the post to go viral. She didn’t even intend to make the post public. It was supposed to just be for friends to see, but she does not regret her post or the fact that it’s public.
In the letter to her 13-year-old son, Johnson reprimanded her son treating her like a “roommate.” She went on to give him an itemized bill for rent, food, etc that totaled over $700. If he was going to treat her like a roommate instead of his mom, she would do the same.
Johnson signed the note, “Love Mom,” and she truly does love her son. She followed up the post with another post explaining some backstory to the situation. She also reassured parents who were criticizing her that “I am not going to put my 13 year old on the street if he can’t pay his half of the rent. I am not wanting him to pay anything. I want him to take pride in his home, his space, and appreciate the gifts and blessings we have.”
She added that she never intended for Aaron to pay the bill. Instead, she wanted him to “gain an appreciation of what things cost.” The reason Johnson wrote the note was to make sure her son understood “what life would look like if I was not his ‘parent,’ but rather a ‘roommate.’ It was a lesson about gratitude and respect from the very beginning.”
Johnson also explained that before she wrote the note, her son had lied about doing his homework, and when she told him she was going to restrict his internet access, he responded, “Well, I am making money now.” She explained that the money he was referring to was a little bit of income he was making from his YouTube channel, but not nearly enough to pay for food and rent.
The public note has not hurt Johnson’s relationship with her son. She explained, “He and I still talk as openly as ever. He has apologized multiple times.”
Johnson has also had parents turning to her for advice since she posted the note to her son. She explains, “My post seems to have opened a door, and people feel safe coming to me and asking for advice, venting, or even just have someone bear witness to their experience by listening and opening up and sharing a piece of myself in return.”
Christopher Reeve’s Son’s Life Shattered by the Loss of Both Parents Before Age 13
There are many stories about kids who look just like their famous parents.
From Michael J. Fox’s twin daughters to Julia Roberts’s teenage daughter who looks just like her, and even Elvis Presley’s grandson, there are many celebrity kids who make us do a double-take.
Christopher Reeve’s 29-year-old son, Will, is one of those kids. Not only does he look exactly like his father, but he is also working hard to carry on his father’s inspiring legacy.
Sadly, Will had to face a huge loss when he was only 13 years old. He lost both of his parents at such a young age.
What does a hero look like?
For many people growing up in the late 70s and early 80s, a hero looked like Christopher Reeve.
He became famous for playing Superman in the 1978 movie, and his performance earned him a BAFTA award for Most Promising Male Newcomer. He also starred in three more Superman films: Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
Christopher Reeve, born in New York in 1952, was more than just an actor. He was also a film director, producer, screenwriter, equestrian, and activist.
However, everything changed for Christopher Reeve on May 27, 1995. During a horse riding competition in Culpeper, Virginia, he fell off his horse Buck and injured his spinal cord.
The fall left him paralyzed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair. His family and fans were devastated.
Christopher’s mother even asked doctors to stop his breathing machine and let him die. According to the New York Times, if Christopher had fallen just one centimeter more to the left, he might have died instantly. If he had landed slightly to the right, he might have only had a concussion.
Christopher Reeve was just 42 years old when he became a quadriplegic. After his accident, he was in a wheelchair and needed a portable ventilator to help him breathe for the rest of his life.
Doctors quickly told him that there was little chance of improvement and said it would be “impossible” for him to regain any movement.
Reeve was in a lot of pain and, in the early days at the hospital, he was heavily medicated and confused. After hearing the doctors’ grim diagnosis, he felt as though his life had been shattered.
Christopher Reeve didn’t want to be a burden to his family and suggested to his wife, Dana Morosini, that they might need to consider ending his life support.
With tears in her eyes, Dana replied, “I will support whatever you decide, because this is your life and your decision. But I want you to know that I’ll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You’re still you. And I love you.”
Instead of giving up, Reeve focused on activism. He and Dana started the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which was later renamed the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. They also co-founded the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, advocating for spinal cord injury research and stem cell research.
Christopher Reeve made sure his son had a happy childhood despite the challenges he faced. In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Will Reeve shared that his upbringing felt “totally normal.”
He said, “They were the people who told me to turn off the TV, to eat my broccoli, to go to bed. I know not every kid sees their dad on magazine covers at the grocery store, but… it was a totally normal childhood.”
Will Reeve also remembered a special moment when his father, Christopher Reeve, taught him how to ride a bike from his wheelchair. “I didn’t think it would work. I was terrified, but I could hear my dad’s voice guiding me: ‘Steady, steady, left, right, left, right,’” Will recalled. By the third lap, he was smiling and waving at his dad, who was smiling back. “That meant so much to him. Later on, I’d race him in his wheelchair, and he’d let me win.”
Unfortunately, Will’s father passed away while they were still working on rebuilding their lives.
Christopher Reeve had health issues from a young age, including asthma and allergies that affected his breathing. At 16, he also developed alopecia areata, which caused his hair to fall out. Although he managed this condition during his acting career, he chose to shave his head after becoming paralyzed.
In the early 2000s, Reeve faced several infections. In October 2004, he was being treated for an infected pressure ulcer that had led to sepsis. On October 9, he was watching his son Will play hockey, but later that night, he suffered a heart attack after receiving antibiotics for his infection.
Christopher Reeve fell into a coma, and there was nothing the doctors could do. He passed away on October 10, 2004, at the age of 52. Both his wife, Dana, and the doctors attributed his death to an adverse reaction to medication.
Christopher’s body was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, and his ashes were scattered.
Just 10 months after Christopher’s death, Dana was diagnosed with lung cancer, even though she had never smoked. According to Christopher P. Andersen, Dana had performed and sung in smoky bars and hotel lobbies during the early days of her career, which might have contributed to her illness.
Dana Reeve, an American actress and singer, married Christopher Reeve in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on April 11, 1992.
Dana battled a malignant lung tumor for several months and passed away on March 6, 2006, at the age of 44.
Their son, William Elliot “Will” Reeve, was born on June 7, 1992. Tragically, Will was only 13 years old when he lost both of his parents.
Today, Will Reeve has grown up to look just like his father, Christopher Reeve, though he has largely stayed out of the spotlight.
Will has completed his education and is now building a successful career in the sports news industry.
At 29 years old, Will’s resemblance to his father is striking. But what’s truly remarkable about him is that he continues the important work his parents began.
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