A mom asked two teens at the movies to quiet down. When they didn’t, she let them know that they ru-ined her night and that she couldn’t afford to go to the movies with her da-ughter again. Days later, she learned their mother was trying to t-r-a-ck her down. When she heard why, she was speechless.
Rebecca Boyd went to a movie at Tannehill Premiere Cinema 14 in Bessemer, Alabama, but instead of a nice evening out with her 12-year-old daughter, the mom was left annoyed by the teens seated behind her in the theater. Much to her di-s-m-ay, they were loud and kept t-a-p-ping her seat. When she couldn’t take anymore, she turned around and po-l-i-tely asked them to stop.
Instead of heeding the mom’s request, the teens responded ru-d-e-l-y and continued to mis-b-e-h-ave during the movie. Following the film, Rebecca decided to let the kids know they had completely r-u-i-n-ed her night. Her husband was l-a-id-off. That movie experience was probably the last one her family would be able to have for a while, and she wanted the teens to know how -u-n-h-a-ppy she was with their di-s-r-e-spect.
After making her fr-u-s-t-r–ations known, Rebecca Boyd thought the inc-i-d-ent was over. But, she was mi-s–taken. The rude teens’ brother had wit-n-e-s-sed the en-c-o-unter, and he was going to tell their mother. When Kyesha Smith Wood’s teenage son told her what happened, she was taken -a-b-a-ck. This wasn’t something she could let go. So, Kyesha took to Facebook to find the woman who had sc-o-l-d-ed her 13-year-old daughter and stepdaughter.
“This is a long shot, but I’m looking for a woman that was at Tannehill Premier,” Kyesha began, giving the details about the time and location of the movie showing. She went on to explain that she had dropped the girls off at the movies with her son, who later told her, much to her “hu-m-i-l-i-ation and embarrassment,” that her girls were “r-u-e and o**oxious during the movie,” and she wanted to find the woman who had appr-a-c-hed them about their behavior.
“The woman I’m looking for addressed them and asked them to be quiet and they were di-s-r-e-s-p-ectful,” Kyesha continued. “If you are this woman, please message me.” Kyesha posted the message publicly to her own profile as well as the McAdory-McCalla Community News Facebook page. It was then shared on the Jefferson County Office page. And, it eventually reached Rebecca Boyd. When she read the rest of Kyesha’s social media message, she knew she had to contact her.
“I can assure you that these girls are being strongly d-e-a-lt with and app-r-o-p-r-iately punished. This r-u-d-e, di-s-r-e-s-pectful, and awful behavior is unac-c-e-p-table, and they owe you an a-p-o-l-o-gy,” Kyesha wrote in her public message, hoping to find the woman her girls had di-s-r-e-s-p-ected. “My husband and I are having them write your ap-o-l-o-g-y letter tonight and we would like to pay for your next movie and snacks out of their all-o-w-a-nce. Please message me if this is you. I ap-o-l-o-g-ize profusely for their d-i-s-r-e-spect.”
Kyesha admits the entire ordeal had quite an effect on her girls. “My girls are so mortified. They are humiliated. And, that’s okay because I told them, ‘You know what, you’re not going to do this again,’” she said. But, she’s grateful that Rebecca took action. “She’s the most gracious, kind and forgiving woman. I am so humbled by that, and I’ve been telling people the real hero of the story is her,” Kyesha said. “She took it upon herself to correct my girls and no one else around them did.”
Kyesha was also pretty proud of herself as a mother after she used her children’s own tools to effectively discipline them. “Mom broke the Internet!” she laughed, according to ABC. “They do Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and they master it all. I’m like, ‘You are never going to get 180,000 likes! So, just act right, use it responsibly, because obviously, I am doing something better than you.”
The girls learning their lesson isn’t the only good to come of Kyesha’s post either. The Boyd family even got a few job offers, and the message also resonated with parents everywhere. As Rebecca said, Kyesha’s post, a perfect example of parental responsibility, shows there are good people in the world who care about what kind of kids they are raising.
It’s just some good, old-fashioned parenting, the moms say. When you see a child behaving badly, you call them out. When you are the parent and find out about your child’s bad behavior, you hold them accountable and make them apologize. That’s how you get a happy ending for everyone.