When people are raising children, and even teens, they can get so focused on raising and disciplining them, it's like they forget that these are young humans with human needs just like their own.
In schools, some teachers are more relaxed about the presence of drinks and snacks in their classrooms, as well as their students' need to use the restroom, because they understand that their students have basic physical needs just like they do.
But according to TikToker @cassdamm, the principal at her son's school was not so understanding.
In the video, the mom of a 15-year-old boy vented about a situation that she felt should have been a non-issue, but which the principal felt strongly enough about to send a strict and heated five-paragraph email about. Not to mention nine screenshots from the security cameras as she watched him go through the halls, from the math class to the restroom and back.
In addition to the photos, the principal detailed the importance of discipline and attendance, neither of which she felt the TikToker's son was exhibiting, because while he was using a hall pass to use the restroom, he also stopped at a vending machine on the way back to class to take a soda with him.
The mother reflected on the long email, perplexed by its contents.
"I'm genuinely so confused. He was not doing anything wrong."
"We live in a cartel town. I know people are out there fighting. You can't be more concerned with that than you are with my son? Why are you staring at the cameras just to confirm if he used the restroom or not?"
You can watch the video here:
@cassdamm He’s a nice kid. I’m sure he would have bought you a soda too, Kellie. #momtok #teenmom #butwhy #whyyousoobsessedwithme
In a follow-up video, the mother explored the issue more, reiterating that her son had done nothing wrong.
He had, in fact, used the restroom like he had asked to, and he had simply stopped at a nearby vending machine on the way back to class.
The only incidents the student had ever been a part of involved proximity with other students, one time with his girlfriend and another time with a student who was holding a cell phone in a cell phone-free zone. His minimal disciplinary history made the TikToker question even more why the principal was being so hard on him about the situation.
You can watch the second video here:
@cassdamm Replying to @Ace🦌 all this over a Dr Pepper lol #drpepper #part2 #momtok #teenmom
Fellow TikTokers were similarly perplexed by how the principal was treating the teen.
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It's understandable that a principal would want to run a tight ship and ensure that students and teachers are following the rules, but even if drinks were not allowed in the classroom, this surveillance seems a little extreme, especially regarding a student who so minimally gets into trouble.
We have to remember that children and teens have needs, too, and if the teen was thirsty on his way back to class, as long as he didn't leave a mess in the classroom, it didn't seem fair that he'd be reprimanded for buying a beverage on his way back to class.