With parenting comes plenty of responsibility and endless choices that need to be made. Unfortunately, these choices include disciplinary measures. Every parent has their own way of teaching their child a lesson, and many of these decisions can be considered controversial. Parenting is a very touchy subject because everyone has their own views on raising their children.
When raising a child, most people are very defensive over their choices and their parenting skills. This is very understandable because parents see their children as their prodigies. Parents view their young ones as lives that they are responsible for in every way, shape and form.
Being a parent is by no means easy and can cause a lot of stress. Parenthood comes with the constant debate of right versus wrong. Throughout the entire journey of parenthood, one must decide if his/her actions will help or hurt his/her child. Whether it is to be rough or soft, to say yes or no, to be protective or let them be free – it is all a constant battle. For many parents, raising a child comes naturally. For others, it is the opposite.
Being a good parent comes down to basic intentions. Some people just can’t figure out what is right for their child, even though they intend to be the best they can be. Just because a decision might not be the perfect move for the child, the parent might not know any better. This is the main problem with parents criticizing one another.
One family in particular has made headlines across the world as their parenting choices ruffled many feathers. When one 6-year-old girl made an innocent mistake, her parents reacted in a way that no one expected. Now, parents all over the world are learning a lesson from their story.
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6-year-old Katelyn Lunt made headlines around the world when she ordered $350 worth of Barbie dolls from her mother’s Amazon account. Because she is so young, the entire situation was very controversial considering what her parents should have done to punish her for technically stealing their money.
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Katelyn plotted her plan when she saw her mother ordering a toy for her on Amazon. She was buying this toy for her daughter as a reward for finishing all of her chores. While many believe a child finishing their chores does not exactly call for a reward, this family is different. This is how the viral story came to be.
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Giving your children chores is just an important part of parenting. While a positive reward may give them more of an incentive to cooperate, many believe that chores should just be a part of a child’s life lesson without expecting anything in return. This was not the case for the Lunt family.
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One day, because Katelyn had finished her chores, her mother, Catherine, decided to purchase a Purple Barbie Dreamtopia Rainbow Cove Fairy Doll for her. She thought this would lead to nothing but a grateful “thank you,” but she had no idea what this simple act of kindness would actually lead to.
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When Catherine walked away from her computer, Katelyn snuck up to the screen and saw all of the related/suggested toys associated with her recently purchased gift. In this moment, Katelyn had a very mischievous idea. Her Purple Barbie Dreamtopia Rainbow Cove Fairy Doll just was not enough for her.
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Being a bright young girl, Katelyn figured out how to add her favorite items to Catherine’s cart and then, eventually, check out. Of course, Katelyn was just an innocent young girl and had no idea what the reality of the situation was. Before she knew it, $350 worth of dolls were scheduled for delivery.
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The next day, Catherine checked her order status to make sure her daughter’s reward doll was being delivered. To her surprise, she saw multiple pages of orders instead of just the one item she had expected. She was confused, of course, but it did not take her long to figure out what had happened.
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Luckily, Catherine was able to cancel a few of the orders that her daughter was responsible for. However, most items were already shipped out so there was no way to get her money back. Catherine knew she was stuck in a difficult situation as she had to decide how to discipline her daughter.
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When Catherine confronted Katelyn, she reacted exactly how she expected. She asked Katelyn about the mysterious purchases and she immediately developed a guilty look on her face that basically said “yes, I did it.” Now, Catherine had to decide what to do with Katelyn after this silly, pricey incident.
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The day after Catherine confronted her daughter, Katelyn, they had a family get together at their home. Catherine told her family about what had happened and asked for their advice as to how she should punish her daughter. After the back and forth of family opinion, they were hit with a shocking surprise.
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The Lunt’s saw a delivery truck pull up to their house and they knew immediately that it was Katelyn’s large order that was arriving. They watched the delivery man unload the boxes one by one as they shook their heads – and couldn’t help but smile.
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When the delivery man unloaded the boxes, Catherine explained the situation and they all shared a laugh together. They could not believe the overwhelming number of boxes that were being unloaded. This was a first for the delivery man and, of course, a first for the Lunt’s.
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Katelyn’s uncle, John Diyalou, thought the stunt was so funny he snapped multiple pictures of her with the boxes she had ordered. Shortly after, Katelyn’s cousin, Ria Diyalou, made a post on Twitter explaining the situation. This is where things got interesting for the entire family.
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This post went viral almost immediately. The hilarious trouble that Katelyn got herself into struck a chord with people around the world, resulting in over 80,000 likes. While this was fun for everyone involved, they still needed to decide how to punish Katelyn for the silly stunt that she pulled.
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Speaking with the Washington Post, Catherine explained: “We started hearing from complete strangers who asked, ‘Aren’t you mad? I’d be livid. Although Katelyn knew what she was doing, she had no comprehension about what she’d spent. I mean, come on. She just started the first grade. I’d have to say this is really my fault, for not paying close attention.”
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Katelyn was extremely anxious to open the boxes that were delivered to her home. It was like Christmas for her! However, her parents would not let her open the boxes as they did not believe she deserved the dolls that she sneakily ordered. That is when these parents came up with a brilliant idea.
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Speaking with the Washington Post, Catherine explained that when Katelyn was born, she had some serious health complications. “It was scary — she’d lost 5 percent of her brain mass. But doctors told us that it would eventually be regenerated. They put her on medication for a while and decided that she would be fine. And she was.”
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So, Katelyn’s father came up with a great idea. Instead of returning all of the dolls as they planned, they decided to donate the dolls to young patients in care of the hospital that saved Katelyn’s life as a baby. Although Katelyn was upset at first, she was very happy to help these kids in need.
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Katelyn was so excited about her trip to the hospital, she has decided to return with her own doll collection to play with the patients. “I’m glad that we took them up there,” Katelyn said. “I’ll bet that everyone likes the one that lights up the best. She’s my favorite.”
While the hilarious stunt Katelyn pulled could’ve ended in many different ways, it’s safe to say this story ended in the best way possible.
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