Teen Donates 80,000 Pennies After Dad Dumps Final Child Support Payment On Front Lawn
If you end a relationship or get a divorce and there are children from the relationship, it's common for the partner who doesn't have full custody to make child support payments.
However, just because it's common doesn't mean that everyone is happy about it—and sometimes that unhappiness leads to tricky situations like this one.
The Scene Of The Incident: Virginia
Recently in Henrico, Virginia, teenager Avery Sanford and her mother were left a less-than-nice gift by her estranged father.
The gesture was intended to embarrass Avery's mother—but the women turned it into something positive.
The Final Payment
Avery had not been in contact with her father for years, and since Avery had recently turned 18, that meant that her father was no longer required by law to make child support payments.
Rather than making the payment like a normal person would, though, he chose to add some dramatic flair to the gesture.
The Pettiest Way To Make A Payment
Using his valuable time and money, the man decided that he would make his final child support payment in the form of 80,000 pennies.
One person who heard the story pointed out on Twitter that it would have cost him extra to get that many pennies, but that's his prerogative if he wants to waste his money...
He Delivered The Pennies By Trailer
Now what you might be thinking is "how does someone transport 80,000 pennies?"
According to Avery, her father rented a landscaping trailer to transport the pennies, which he then dumped on the front lawn of their home for her mother to deal with.
Avery's Mom Didn't Realize What Was Happening At First
While Avery was still at school, her father showed up to dump the coins at their house.
At first, her mother didn't even realize who he was and asked him what he was doing, to which he replied, "It's your final child support payment."
The Police Were Called
Raven Sickal, Avery's mother, called the police to her home to deal with her ex-husband.
However, no charges were actually laid against the man, so Sickal was just stuck with the coins and her ex left.
Avery Saw Them When She Came Home
When Avery came home from school that day, it was impossible to not see the tens of thousands of coins that were on her front lawn.
Avery and her mother tackled the job of cleaning up the pennies.
Turning It Into Something Positive
The mother-daughter duo decided that they would turn what was meant to be a petty, negative action into something positive by donating the money.
All $800 of the payment went to Safe Harbor, a local domestic abuse shelter.
It Inspired Others To Donate Too
Once the story picked up traction online, others donated to the shelter as well.
Avery and Raven's actions led to more than $40,000 being donated to Safe Harbor shelter from all over the world.
Teen Wonders If He Was Wrong To Ignore His Dad For A Week After Being Scolded For Crying
A 16-year-old cried because he didn't make it onto a soccer team. But he didn't just cry right away. At first, he was upset and told his friends and his girlfriend about it.
However, he didn't want to cry in front of them so as not to worry them. He was glad that his girlfriend was willing to comfort him.
When He Got Home He Told His Parents
He broke the news to his parents right when he got home, but he still didn't allow himself to cry.
It wasn't until he got into the shower that he let the tears run down. "I was disappointed with myself. I don't have much time left to play and it hurt really badly that I didn't get in," he explained.
He Just Couldn't Hold It In Anymore
"I got changed and I went to the room to set my alarm for the next day as I was going to begin to do more exercise. I begin sobbing again and my sister hears me so she comes into my room to hug me."
Then his sister alerted their mother and she also came to comfort him.
Then The Dad Walked In
Then, the boy's 37-year-old father walked in, but he didn't have the same reaction. The son explained that he didn't usually feel comfortable crying in front of his family.
It turned out to be for a good reason because after learning the reason why he was upset, the dad started scolding him.
The Dad Listed All The Things The Son Did Wrong
"He starts saying that I should've run more (even though I am the most athletic and have the most stamina in my family). Then he starts lecturing me about how I need to eat more and drink more water (even though I do that too)."
The son felt like his dad was missing the point, as he was just needing to be comforted.
The Dad Thought The Crying Was "Stupid"
Rather than comfort his son, the father told him that he found it stupid that he was crying and that he needed to "man up."
"He starts giving me that lecture about back when he was young he didn't cry and all that. Trying to sound like a 'man.'"
The Two Got Into A Big Argument
The son couldn't hold in how upset he was with his dad and they argued for a whole hour.
He explained that he hadn't talked to his dad since because he didn't think he was in the wrong. His mom found it unreasonable so he took to asking Reddit whether he was in the wrong.
Reddit Sided With The Son
Reddit found that the dad's thinking was both harsh and toxic, and that it falsely defined what a good man is.
One Redditor explained: "A good man is first of all a whole human being, with all the emotions and abilities of a good human being. Anyone who demands you cut something out of yourself to be a 'real man' is toxic and broken."
They Blamed Toxic Masculinity
One person pointed out that the father was "trying to push his internalized toxic masculinity on you. Crying is healthy, expressing your feelings is healthy."
Unfortunately, the dad was most likely just trying to relay the same definition of masculinity that he was once taught.
Some Even Praised The Son For Breaking The Cycle
"His behavior is why we have so many men punching walls and screaming instead of sitting down with their wives and discussing their feelings," one person said.
Another one added: "It's hard for men that were raised that it's unmanly to cry to deal with their own tears or any other male's tears. Kudos to the ones that work hard not to pass that down to their kids."
Maybe it's time for "men don't cry" to be replaced with "all humans cry."
