MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Hickory Hill mother is getting a lot of attention for how she punished her teenage sons after she found a number of inappropriate posts on their Facebook pages.
Shonta Love said she made her 14-year-old and 15-year-old sons stand at the corner of Hickory Hill and Winchester for around 40 minutes Monday night holding signs that read, “My mom works 3 jobs and I’m being disrespectful and ungrateful on Facebook.”
Love said her sons posted obscene images depicting sexual positions, of themselves posing with fake $100 bills and making rude gestures as well as videos referencing the Bloods gang.
“I look on here and I was like, ‘What in the world? I’m not raising him to be a thug,’” said Love.
In response, Love said she ordered her sons to stand outside with the humiliating signs.
“You don’t have to always beat a child to get it to them. If you embarrass them like they embarrass you, it won’t happen again,” said Love.
But some say the punishment went too far.
“I believe she was reacting on an emotional level,” said Mary Jane Thompson, a licensed counselor with the Exchange Club Family Center in Midtown.
Thompson said parents should always make sure the punishment fits the crime.
“First thing I would have done or would have suggested to her is that she take away Facebook for a week or a month,” said Thompson.
But Love said she has no regrets about the way she handled things.
She said her sons even apologized for their Facebook posts.
“I choose not to lose my boys to the street. Under no circumstances,” said Love.
