ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Mother, Creates Unique Facebook Punishment After Daughter Posts Alcohol-Related Photos

While the rise of social media has certainly created new ways for children to get themselves in trouble, it's also given parents a whole new set of tools to reel in their kids. A recent Facebook post, first highlighted by BuzzFeed, serves as a wonderful example of this.

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO

After author ReShonda Tate Billingsley found her daughter posting alcohol-related photos to the social network, she came up with a very original, and no doubt effective, form of punishment.

Following up the post her mother deemed inappropriate is a new photo that features the young girl holding a hand-written sign that reads, "Since I want to post photos of me holding liquor I am obviously not ready for social media and will be taking a hiatus until I learn what I should + should not post. BYE-BYE."

Rough.

But Billingsley isn't alone in her parenting style.

Denise Abbott, a mother from Ohio, used the same method to punish her 13-year-old daughter Ava after she found her posting "disrespectful things" on Facebook.

"I do not know how to keep my [mouth shut]. I am no longer allowed on Facebook or my phone. Please ask why," the text on the 13-year-old girl's Facebook photo read.

Despite the embarrassment, Abbot told NBC she doesn't regret her disciplinary action, saying she needed to find something that would "totally impact her."

"You have to adapt your parenting skills with the times," Abbott told NBC.

It could be worse, though. At least Billingsley and Abbot didn't put a bullet through their child's laptop and post the video on Facebook.

PHOTO:

Related on HuffPost:

5 Kids Whose Parents Forced Them To Hold Signs As Punishment

Loading Slideshow

• "I Like To Steal From Others And Lie About It"

  Father Montrail White punished his 8-year-old daughter, Amiyah, "after repeatedly catching her taking things that didn't belong to her." School officials called police when White made his daughter stand in the parking lot wearing the sign pictured above. He was asked to leave school property but says the sign will remain in their home in case it needs to be used again. <em><a href="http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/316438/3/Swansea-police-called-as-Montrail-White-disciplines-Amiyah-White" target="_hplink">via KSDK</a></em>

• "I Was Not Raised THIS Way!!"

  Fifth grader, Tarvon Young, was suspended for planning to bully a classmate. His mother, Tarra Dean, didn't think his punishment was enough and forced him to stand outside his school holding up a sign that read "I was sent to school to get an education, not to be a BULLY. I was not raised THIS WAY!!!" <a href="http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21007137790589/suspended-student-holds-sign-outside-school/" target="_hplink">via WSVN</a>

• "I Want To Be A Class Clown, Is It Wrong?"

  Michael Bell Jr.'s parents forced him to wear a sign that read, ""I want to be a class clown, is it wrong?" after they were disappointed with his bad grades. The other side of the sign asked cars to "honk if they think three failing grades are bad." <a href="http://www.local10.com/news/Dad-makes-son-wear-sign-for-bad-grades/-/1717324/9274744/-/y8f5yjz/-/index.html" target="_hplink">via Local10</a>

• "I Am A Thief"

  When 12-year-old Jose Gonzalez took $100 from his cousin's wallet, his dad made him stand on a street corner for five hours holding a sign that read, ""I am a thief. I took money from a family member." <em> <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_20270115/curbside-confessional#ixzz1sQRwpOay" target="_hplink"> via The Denver Post </a></em>

• "Honk If I Need Education"

  Mom Ronda Holder forced her 15-year-old son, James Mond III, to wear a sign around his neck that said: "I did four questions on my FCAT and said I wasn't going to do it...GPA 1.22...honk if I need education." <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/20/tampa-bay-mom-ronda-holder_n_825447.html" target="_hplink"> via The Huffington Post</a></em>

From our partners

• 25 Signs That You Are About To Go Into Labor - Mommyish
• 'Dutch Babies Sleep' And Other European Parenting Secrets - BabyCenter
• 7 Great Books That Explain The Birds And The Bees - Circle of Moms

Comments

[Jnce]

06:23 PM on 09/11/2012

This mother is to be congratulated, and held up as an example of a caring parent taking their responsibility seriously!

[btlit13]

05:59 PM on 08/27/2012

I looove the sign idea. The slide show featured above is perfect for repeat offender teens (as in the thieves, refusal to learn, etc). If my daughter every pulls that crap I will be breaking out the markers and poster board.

[GOOFYPAMMY]

11:58 AM on 08/27/2012

I don't see this as abuse. Some are saying that it is too public. However, I grew up in a day when if you did something wrong, you got your butt swatted by the neighbor. Then you got it again, because your neighbor called your house, because everyone knew everyone. I never did anything wrong because of it. I think it was a way to let her daughter know that she is going to be watched. To let the daughter's friends know also, she is going to be watched! You've got to make a solid stand with children that certain things will not be tolerated. You don't have to agree with it, however, in a day that kids are growing up to fast, and doing to many things younger and younger. Stop it has best you can. Or you may loose them completely. We have more addicts, teen preganancy, run aways, disrespectful behavior than ever before. In a time, when you have to stop and think, is that kid screaming and hitting that woman or man, because they are trying to harm them, or is it just another bratty child throwing a tantrum?

[cmmmmm]

12:31 AM on 07/31/2012

THEY WILL BE HUMILIATED AND HAVE PEOPLE FIRE HER OR PUT HER IN PRISON FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES..MIGHT AS WELL DO THIS TO ALL THE CRIMINALS TOO HUH. ITS NOT OUR FAULT YOU COULDN’T HANDLE HUMILIATION AND AUTHORITY. SO LEARN HOW TO HANDLE IT AS A CHILD? OR AS AN ADULT WHEN THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS OR HOW TO HANDLE IT AND DO SOMETHING RASH.. GOOD JOB TO THE MOM FOR TEACHING HER THE VALUES AND THE FUNDAMENTALS OF LIFE THAT SO MANY WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THEM.

[Michael Fish40]

08:26 AM on 06/03/2012

As a parent of a teenage girl, and a soon-to-be teenage boy, I can say that I've seen a lot of pictures of kids, that have made me say "why aren't their parents moderating them?!?" I'm so glad these parents did this. It's my belief, as a parent, that kids need to know that there is a "line in the sand" and they need to know exactly where it is. They also need to know, that there are consequences for crossing it. Just my not-so-humbles

[cmmmmm]

12:30 AM on 07/31/2012

THEY KNOW THE LINE BUT LIKE TO SNEAK AND DO WHAT THEY WANT.

[26snr]

02:10 PM on 05/31/2012

Im so happy that parents will be willing to do this to thier kids! Also its a very smart way to go about it, because its not abuse and the humiliation will make them think twice about making bad decisions again.

[DianaLynn1967]

03:31 PM on 06/09/2012

Humiliation is abuse.

[26snr]

12:16 PM on 06/11/2012

no it isnt because they brought it on to themselves

[Monoke]

10:23 AM on 06/29/2012

Well said. If someone is humiliating their significant other and we call it abuse and if a child humiliating another child is called abuse (bullying) how is it that parents can get off scot-free?

[Cathy Koch]

02:22 AM on 05/31/2012

http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/teenage-girl-posts-picture-of-cash-on-facebook-family-robbed-within-hours/
For all the people who thought this mom was wrong, read that article. A family was robbed because a teenager posted something on FB that she shouldn't have.

[Gabriela Borda De Hasty]

06:09 PM on 05/28/2012

Good for her! The mother didn't hit her, didn't threat her...just went along with her own daughter's game. Congratulations for being creative and for saving her daughter from online predators that could have hurt her.

[paschayoumans]

11:53 AM on 05/28/2012

Teenagers and the up and comers who have lived all of their years within a Facebook-Twitter world need to be taught before they even begin using social media, that privacy is a sacred, precious thing of the past. Everything they ever say by way of technology can follow them in ways they can't even conceive. As adults we comprehend this fully, but the undeveloped mind of a young person cannot. It is incumbent upon us as parents to ensure they take active, consistent measures to protect their identity, reputation, and privacy.

[intelligentprint]

02:06 AM on 05/27/2012

I disagree. I thinks this is very effective. Young people today want to see how much exposure they can get doing things that they think are cool. It's gives them a kind of media high. Well, use those same techniques and that same exposure to embarrass them and humiliate them.
The friends that made you feel good laughing with you, not makes you feel like a fool and a pariah by laughing at you.

[Jennifer Austin Leigh]

01:28 PM on 05/24/2012

I disagree that this is effective parenting. What has the child LEARNED THE MOST? She has learned that mom and dad are not to be trusted and to be feared. Public humiliation causes changes to the brain that are not healthy. What did she learn about alcohol use? Isn't the the real issue? Did she learn to go underground with her behavior? Certainly learning about what to post is a key issue, but there are other ways to teach such lessons. Shame is not a healthy emotion unless you want to teach brain damage. Literally.

[tianarock2]

06:21 PM on 05/25/2012

How is showing your kids that you mean bussiness not effective? At least she wont post that stuff on Facebook anymore! I am a teen, and with that kind of puishment, I would never do anything like that again! If that is not the way to punish her, than what is? (Non-rhetorical)

[klown7269]

09:01 PM on 03/16/2013

Tiana....You seem like a level headed intelligent teen!
I completely agree with the Mom, I see too many kids, everyday, that have no respect or even a small amount of fear of Authority. We knew there were consequences for our actions, as kids. Most children, I see today, have zero consequences or maybe a day off of school with an out of school suspension. Isn't that what they want in the first place?

[RedRoux]

06:25 PM on 05/26/2012

I doubt the conversation at home ended with writing the note. You know about 3% of this story, so before you accuse her of child abuse, keep in mind, you are an outsider w/ very little info.

[MGhamma]

11:53 PM on 05/23/2012

Parenting and disipline should be kept in house, and personal.

[26snr]

02:13 PM on 05/31/2012

and i bet that works ot fine when the stealing is happening in your house and it lets kids talk back with out shame.
These parents are smart for doing this and it puts kids in thier place instead of abusing them or useless time outs. although some effective if started at an early age.

[Grimmsd]

04:43 PM on 05/23/2012

Where I am from they have a name for making your kid do that kind of thing: Parenting.

[kathleens]

03:34 PM on 05/23/2012

"The Scarlet Letter" is alive and well in the world of parenting.

This mom doesn't believe that public humiliation or embarrassment is an acceptable form of discipline. First of all, I think it's mean. Secondly, and more importantly, it will teach your kid to lie to you.

If my kid had posted photos of drinking on her Facebook page, I'd have made her take the page down. I'd also make her write me an essay about the dangers of drinking and sharing too much on the internet. Clearly, a kid doing something like this doesn't understand all the ramifications of what they're doing. And in my experience, shaming isn't the best tool for teaching these kinds of things.

I'm not sure what the embarrassment does, except for exact a feeling of revenge. That shouldn't be something a parent wants from their child.

[Chuck Troy]

09:33 PM on 05/22/2012

If the parents would stop stocking the wine celler, the kids would quit posing with a bottle. model behavior you want your children to emulate. (Did I spell emulate correctly?)

[TruthHurtsPPL]

03:15 AM on 05/23/2012

So when you become a parent you are no longer allowed to have the occasional drink? These kids can get the drinks from older friends or friends older siblings, if there is a will there is a way.
P.S you did spell it correctly

[bluespagan]

07:15 AM on 05/23/2012

I am a parent and we still have a few bottles of beer in the fridge and bottles of wine in the cellar from time to time. We are adults, it is something that we like to partake in over dinner with friends or after an especially taxing day. We have drank with out daughter, only a year old right now, because there is nothing wrong with seeing adults drink in a responsible manner. So, we do model behavior we want our child to emulate. We are of legal age to drink and so responsibly. If she decides later to act irresponsibly then she will face the repercussions.