Mom Gets An ‘I Hate You’ Text From Her Adult Son For A Sad Reason — But She Doesn’t Regret Her Decision
While she was crushed by her son's text, she stood firm in the choices she made regarding his well-being and safety.
fizkes | Shutterstock After making a difficult decision regarding her son, a mom received a heartbreaking text in return and used it as a lesson for other parents who may be going through rough times with their adult children.
In a TikTok video, a Gen X mom and content creator named Forky under the username @forkysworld explained that her adult son was incredibly unhappy with decisions made on his behalf and ended up lashing out.
She received an 'I hate you text' from her adult son for a sad reason but doesn't regret her decision.
"If you're a mom who's struggling today because their adult child is [mad] at you, boy, do I see you," she insisted. Posting a screenshot of a text that she'd once gotten from her son that read, "I hate you. You're a [bad] Mom," she admitted that it can be incredibly hard to put on a brave face and stand behind a decision when facing backlash and resentment from your child.
She explained that she'd gotten the text about four days before Mother's Day in 2021. Her son, Preston, was incredibly angry that she wouldn't give him any money for alcohol and sent that text in response. She shared that her son had autism and various medical conditions and lived in a host home by himself but with a caregiver at the age of 24.
Both she and her son's father helped him financially where they could, but at the end of the day, he was refusing to get better on his own. She recalled that he often had self-sabotaging tendencies that ended up impacting his health. Therefore, he took his anger out on his mother which led to him sending such a heartbreaking text. However, the very next day, Preston called to apologize for his behavior.
Kinga / Shutterstock
"I'm not gonna lie. I was crushed when I got that, but I didn't give him the money," she continued. "So, this is my reminder: Even moms have to make [bad] decisions, and it's hard. So if today is hard for you, I see you."
Despite the circumstances surrounding her son's text message, to this day, she still wears it as a "badge of honor" because her son ended up passing away three weeks after the text was sent. He'd been out for a walk, and he made a bad decision with his roommate, and he ended up crossing the interstate and got struck by a car, his mother revealed.
An autopsy revealed that he didn't have any substances in his system.
All that he had in his system were his prescribed medications, which led her to believe that the talk she'd had with him when he called to apologize had helped him realize that he didn't need to depend on substances to feel better.
"It was a hard talk that I had with him three weeks earlier, but nothing was found in his system, so to me, that's the best Mother's Day gift he could leave me."
It's so easy to be angry and blame all these outstanding factors that contributed to her son's death, especially as a parent. But instead of letting that anger and bitterness take over, she pledged on the upcoming anniversary of his death that she wouldn't let it consume her. Becoming a parent means that sometimes you have to trust your instincts. There's no rule book or manual guide to soothe parents on the decisions that they make regarding their children.
It's a journey that you learn as you go, and some parents end up making choices that maybe aren't universally understood or accepted. They mess up, plain and simple, but in the end, a lot of those choices came from a place of wanting to protect and keep their children safe, as this mother wanted for her son.
"We still don't know why my son went out that day with his roommate," she said. Three years after his death, she's still battling the question of why her son crossed that interstate, despite having done it countless times before as he'd used it as a shortcut. She's tried reaching out to his roommate, sending message after message, but receiving no reply.
"I'm trying so hard going into this third year of grief to focus on gratitude and being thankful," she added. Grief and dealing with the loss of a child can be such a complex and emotionally draining process. While the pain never fully disappears, it's these moments of positive memories and remembering the people around you who can uplift you in your time of need that can make the time easier.
It's clear that this mother deeply loved her son, and despite his attitude toward the decisions she made regarding his well-being, he loved her just as much, and in the end, that's all that truly matters.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available. Reach out 24/7 to SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.