Dad Shows His Son Exactly What Happens When He Gets into Trouble at School

It doesn’t matter what age a child is, whether they are going through their terrible twos, or they are well into their teenage years, being a parent to them is hard. Teenagers, in particular, can be tough to handle for parents. They’re in high school, which can be a time full of change, and lots of challenges as they move from being a kid into being a young adult. They have to learn how to take care of themselves if they are going to excel in college, and for one parent named Brad Howard, he realized his son was struggling a bit in school. In fact, his son was actually being the class clown and disrupting everyone else’s learning experience.

A Little Bit Of Trouble

Bradley, Brad Howard’s firstborn son, seemed like your normal teen. He had just turned 17 years old, and seemed to be doing pretty well in school. At least, that is what his father Brad thought, until he looked down at his phone and saw Bradley’s high school calling him.

Bradley was taking physics, because he thought he might want to be a science major at university, except he could not stop chatting to his fellow students which was distracting for them.

Class Clown

Class time tends to be a pretty quiet affair. Students need to hunker down with their books, and their teachers and learn what they need to if they’re going to get into the universities of their choosing. Bradley liked to disrupt class by telling jokes to his friends, and generally being noisy when class was in progress.

Physics was particularly bad, and after a few warnings, and that fateful call to his dad, an ultimatum was given at home. If Bradley could not learn to be silent in class, then Brad would simply have to join him for a few lessons. He figured he would not want his dad in class with him, because it would be too embarrassing for the teen.

Keeping Quiet

After hearing about what his dad had planned, Bradley decided to play it cool for about a month. He knew that if he behaved in class, everything would quiet down, and his teacher would report to his father that he was now a diligent student. He definitely did not want his dad showing up at school.

A couple of weeks passed though, and Bradley’s teacher once more contacted his parents. Bradley had begun to talk in class again, and it was making it almost impossible for the teacher to get through the lesson. It was time for his father to make good on his threat. He was going to have to go back to high school with his son.

An Upstanding Member Of Society

One of the reasons, Bradley’s father, found his son’s disruptiveness so upsetting, was because he was very well-known in their small Texan community. Bradley, as his son, was expected to behave according to a certain standard, as his family is often in the public eye.

Brad is a Pastor at one of the local parishes, and his congregation knows him and his family well. Bradley was beginning to disrupt the school experience for some of his flock, and he wanted everyone to have the ability to learn in a quiet environment. Bradley would not be disrupting class anymore, it was now time for a simple, yet effective solution.

Not Keeping The Peace

Since Bradley, as the son of a pastor, was often under the scrutiny of others, it made sense that his father was becoming upset by his actions. He was clearly acting out against the constraints of having to conform to a certain moral code and simply wanted to live his life as he wanted to.

That just happened to involve talking a lot, but that would not be allowed to go on for much longer. It was very disrespectful to the teacher, who was simply trying to teach a difficult subject to a room of tired teenagers. As a pastor, Brad is a man of his word, so he was going back to high school as soon as he had some spare time.

A Wife’s Input

Brad was still on the fence about when he should attend one of Bradley’s classes. The one who pushed him to go back to high school at the age of 53, was his wife Denise.

She woke up one morning, looked at Brad and said, “It’s time.” Bradley had been allowed to get away with disrupting class for months, and now it was time to finally do something about it. With a sigh, he began to get dressed and head off to class.

Fridays Are For Physics

Not wanting to step on any toes, Brad first made sure that the high school would allow him to attend one of Bradley’s classes. The school and the physics teacher immediately gave the okay, as they wanted to deal with Bradley’s misbehavior once and for all.

Bradley needed to learn that there are consequences for his actions, and one of those consequences is having your parents attend class with you. Bradley was about to be very embarrassed by his new classmate.

Getting Parenting Right

There is no right or wrong method when it comes to parenting. Different styles and disciplines work for different parents. In Brad’s house, he wanted his children to feel loved, but also to understand that you need to be polite, and follow the rules.

Brad was having some trouble with this, and by simply showing up for his son’s misbehavior, he was hoping that would put an end to it. Now, he needed to see what Bradley’s reaction would be to his appearance.

Being Funny

Personally, Brad thought that his punishment was not severe and actually bordered on being quite comical. Clearly, his son and he both enjoyed making people laugh, he just hoped his son would not be too embarrassed by his presence.

However, it was time for him to stop distracting his fellow students. Brad immediately sat down in the spot next to where Bradley would park himself. At first, he had no idea his dad was in the room.

A Bit Of A Shock

It took a few minutes for Bradley to get settled and finish up a conversation with his friends. That was when he glanced over and saw his dad waiting for him at his desk. He knew then, that his dad had made good on the promise to attend a class if he could not behave.

Bradley was beyond mortified, and knew that all of his friends would start talking about this. He quickly sat down, opened his books, and began to listen to the teacher.

An Uncomfortable Time

Brad had to admit, after his one day in high school, it was not an easy experience. It brought back all of his old memories of that time, and he was able to see how his son was behaving with new eyes.

He was simply trying to make it through some very difficult years of his life. Once the class was done, and Brad felt his point had been proven, he decided to have another talk with Bradley to see how things were really going at school.

The Classmates’ Reaction

Having never sat quietly in class before, Bradley’s friends and fellow classmates were astounded. This teen was known for his antics, funny retorts to the teacher, and generally distracting anyone around him from learning. Now, he was the center of attention but not for anything he wanted to be laughed at for.

His dad was a hit, and everyone enjoyed seeing Bradley behave because he was there. Naturally, Bradley was very conscious of what everyone was thinking about the situation.

A Family Warning

Brad and his wife have some other children, and he decided that this would be the perfect photo-op to let them know he would do the same for them if he needed to. As Bradley was diligently doing his work, he took a quick selfie of the two of them together.

Denise, Bradley’s mom, quickly forwarded it to all of his siblings to show how his dad was dealing with his bad behavior. They all found it very funny.

Learn From Your Mistakes

It was no longer time for misbehaving. Bradley needed to buckle down and get to work, and Brad was there to ensure it happened. One of the most important aspects of Brad going to his son’s school though was to set a positive example for him.

He would not yell at him at home, or take away his possessions, or even ground him. Brad just wanted to show Bradley, that he would be by his son’s side if he was struggling in school. Literally.

Meet Holli

Holli is Bradley’s teenage sister, and she was on the receiving end of the selfie that Brad sent to the family of him back in high school. She could not believe her dad had actually followed through on his promise, and her brother looked downright miserable.

This was the kind of story she felt needed to be shared by the world, so she tweeted the pic for her followers to see. It began to circulate more and more.

Lasting Effects

Once the bell rang, and Bradley was finally able to pack up his books. He had to decide how he was going to continue for the rest of the school year.

He definitely did not want to spend every Friday sitting next to his dad in physics. He would have to make a decision. Would he keep his mouth shut in class, and avoid his weekly chaperone? Or, would he risk it, and continue to disrupt class?

A Big Thank You

Being a teacher can definitely take a toll on a person, especially if they have students who make their jobs harder. Bradley was one of those students, and when his father, Brad showed up, his teacher was thrilled.

They knew that Bradley would finally be quiet, and they could teach their lesson in peace, without any laughter or sly comments. Everyone hopes that Bradley will be better behaved now, but only time will tell.

Going Viral

As soon as the picture of Brad and Bradley went on Twitter, people from around the globe began commenting and sharing it. They were thrilled to see how Brad had handled the situation. It was not a harsh punishment, simply a parent being present in his son’s life.

Albeit, it was definitely embarrassing for him, but in terms of punishments, it could have been a lot worse. This was simply seen to be a father caring about his son’s education.

Showing He Cares

One of the things that Brad wanted to show his son, is that he does have the power to make his own decisions. While he is living at home, he is expected to be respectful and understanding, and that includes of his teachers.

His physics teacher was respectful towards him, and he was not showing the same respect. Brad wanted his son to understand that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, and that was why he showed up at the school.

Getting Creative

Going into adulthood is no easy task. All teenagers struggle with bridging this gap, for Bradley it would appear that he was struggling more than most. His father wanted to make sure that he had given him all of the tools he needed to be successful.

That meant that he needed to learn how to be respectful, and manage himself in situations where he does not want to be. One day he will have a boss he may not respect, but he cannot talk back the way he was doing in class.

Graduation

After that fateful day, Bradley went through a major change. He finally understood what his father was trying to teach him. He hunkered down at school, completed all of his classes, and finally graduated from high school.

Brad and Denise were thrilled to see their son walk across the stage and collect his diploma. They know that college will be challenging, but they have given Bradley all the tools he needs to succeed.

A Happy Medium

Parenting will never be easy for anyone. You have to decide on what forms of punishment you will use, that will teach your child in a constructive manner. It is important for children to understand why something is wrong, not simply that it is wrong. That’s why this punishment was such a good one.

It showed Bradley the importance of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, and that he was making things very hard for his teacher, who was just trying to do their job.

One Big Happy Family

Children need to feel loved, even when they are going through their teenage years. Brad wanted his son to know that he would be there through thick and thin, even when he was misbehaving.

They have the kind of father-son relationship that has made Bradley feel like he can come to his father for anything, and that is something truly special. We know that Bradley is probably off at college keeping quiet and excelling in class!