00:00When a hard-working Florida mom went out of her way to find the perfect gift for her daughter,
00:04she never imagined the surprise would send her child spiraling into a meltdown.
00:08After the six-year-old threw the present in the trash, her fed-up mother used a plastic bag and
00:14tough love to teach her daughter a lesson in gratitude. Did she go too far? Haley Hassel
00:19has worked hard as a single mom to take care of her daughter Prisley all on her own, making sure
00:25her child gets what she needs and then some. Although she was a young mom and single, Haley
00:30never let that hold her back. She went to school and studied hard become a registered nurse so she
00:35could give her daughter all the best in life. A chain of events that took place shortly after
00:40her little girl started first grade, however, forced the hard-working Florida mom to make a
00:45tough realization. Her daughter wasn't very grateful for all of the things she had, which her mom worked
00:51incredibly hard to give her. So, Haley decided Prisley needed to be taught a lesson. It all began
00:57after Haley went on a mission, visiting three different stores to find the perfect pencil box
01:01for Prisley. She found one she thought her daughter would love, but when she handed it to her child,
01:07she was met with a much different reaction than what she had anticipated. Although Haley expected her
01:12daughter to be ecstatic, she was far from it. She stared at it and threw it in the trash and
01:18slammed the
01:18bedroom door, Haley recalled, describing Prisley's unexpected reaction. Haley said Prisley then,
01:24yelled at her, screaming, that's stupid, everyone in my class, has that, I don't want it anymore.
01:31That's when Haley Hassel decided, it was time for her precious Prisley to learn a lesson,
01:36tough love style. There was probably smoke coming out of my ears, and I'm trying real hard,
01:41not to completely lose it on this kid, that I have worked so hard to completely take care of
01:45financially on my own. Haley admitted in a Facebook post about the incident.
01:50I thought I had always taught her to be grateful, and know how lucky she was, but apparently sis needed
01:55a small wake-up call. Haley added. So, before completely going media mad on my child, I check
02:01myself and say, okay, that's fine, let me go get the one you're going to use. The fed-up mom,
02:07came back with a replacement for Prisley, which was nothing more than a Ziploc bag with her name
02:11written on it. Of course, the little girl was not very happy. She lost her mind. Haley wrote,
02:18describing Prisley's reaction to the little lesson in gratitude. Suddenly, Prisley wanted the box she
02:24had just thrown in the trash since the bag was horrible by comparison. But Haley wasn't about
02:29to budge. It's too late for all that, the fed-up Florida mom said. Although she did tell Prisley to
02:35get the pencil box out of the trash, it wasn't going to be for her to use. We would be
02:39finding a
02:40child to give it to tomorrow, Haley furthered, explaining they would choose one whose mommy
02:44and daddy didn't have money for any school supplies or someone who may not even have a
02:49mommy or daddy. I explained to her she's not entitled to anything special and she is taking
02:54for granted how lucky she is, Haley wrote. So for now, she will be using a Ziploc bag and will
03:00personally be delivering the nice box to a child that could benefit from it, she added. Maybe I
03:06overreact sometimes, but I would have done anything to have all the things she does as a child.
03:10I truly believe changing your perception and just being grateful can turn around any situation in
03:16life, Haley concluded, adding the hashtag hash ungratefulness don't fly over here to end the
03:21post. While discipline is a controversial subject and some believe any punishment that shames or
03:27embarrasses a child crosses a line, Haley Hassel was met with praise for her parenting.
03:32Yes, Prisley will likely be embarrassed by the bag and feel humiliated among her peers,
03:38but perhaps that's what she needs so she will appreciate what she gets in the future.
03:42Sometimes, a child needs to be made uncomfortable to build character and instill values. By definition,
03:48punishment is a penalty. It's not supposed to be pleasant. When a child's attitude and behavior
03:54warrants such intervention and the parent steps up to that difficult task, they should be applauded.
03:59So, let's hear it for Haley Hassel. We think she's doing a great job and other parents need to be
04:04reminded to do the same. Making your kids happy, regardless of their actions isn't love.
04:10Correcting their poor choices is.
