This Mom's Special Delivery: A Lesson in Responsibility

What do you do when your teenage son keeps forgetting to take out the trash? Terri Cox from Maryland, USA, came up with an original solution: she mailed her son’s forgotten trash back to him.

Eighteen-year-old Connor Cox is a college student in Pennsylvania. When he returned home for winter break, his mom reminded him of his usual chores, including taking out the garbage. Connor promised he would do it, but once back at college, he forgot.​

Determined to teach him a lesson, Cox packaged the trash into a cardboard box and mailed it to her son. Connor was sure his loving mom had sent him some food and snacks—only to be shocked by the package's actual contents.

"It annoyed me," admitted Connor, "but I also realized that I should have remembered to take out the trash, as I promised."

Was he surprised by his mom's unconventional move? Not really. "She has an extraordinary sense of humor, but when she’s serious about something, there are no compromises. I’m honestly not surprised she did this."

The story went viral on social media, thanks to Connor sharing it with all his friends and acquaintances. He’s actually happy that his mom’s teaching methods made it to the media. "I think it’s time my mom got some attention for all the hard work she does! And I’ll definitely remember to take out the trash next time."