Don't get grounded in Maplewood
Welcome to Maplewood, a quiet and peaceful suburb where nothing ever happens. Well, almost nothing. You see, Maplewood has a little secret. A secret that keeps the boys in line and the mothers in control.
It all started when Mrs. Jones, the president of the PTA, received a lot of compliments from the other mothers in town. They noticed how well behaved her son was. Jake was an 18 year old senior in high school, and he was getting ready to go to college. He was smart, handsome, and popular. He was also polite, studious, and obedient. He never skipped classes, never snuck out at night, and never talked back to his mother. He was the perfect son.
The other mothers were curious, impressed, and envious. They wanted to know her secret.
Mrs. Jones smiled and invited them to her house for tea. She told them that she had a special way of grounding Jake, whenever he misbehaved. She said that she would share it with them, if they promised to keep it a secret.
And so she told them. She told them how she waited until Jake came home from school, and then she confronted him in his room. She told him that he was grounded for a week, and that he had to stay in his room and listen to her. Jake rolled his eyes and shrugged. He thought it was just another empty threat. He was wrong.
She told them how she grabbed a roll of duct tape and a pair of handcuffs from her purse. She quickly taped Jake's mouth shut and cuffed his hands behind his back. She then pushed him to the floor and put a pair of headphones on his ears. It was a recording of her voice, lecturing Jake about his behavior, his future, and his responsibilities. She told him that he had to listen to it on a loop until he learned his lesson.
She told them how shocked he was. Jake felt a surge of panic as he realized that he was trapped, helpless, and alone. He tried to scream, but the tape muffled his voice. He tried to reason, but the recording drowned his thoughts. He had no way of communicating, no way of expressing himself, no way of being heard. He was silenced, by his own mother.
She told them how she would only let Jake out of his room for meals and bathroom breaks, but the handcuffs and headphones never came off. He had to endure the constant sound of his mother's voice, even when he slept. He had no privacy, no freedom. Sometimes at dinner time, he would try to apologize. But his mother would not listen. Every time he tried to talk, she would add more layers of tape, signifying that he was not there to be heard, but to listen.
She told them how she saw a change in Jake. He was more polite, more studious, and more obedient. He was also more afraid, more depressed, and more isolated. But she didn't care. She cared only about his grades, his reputation, and his future. And she was not alone. The other mothers followed her example, and grounded their sons, in much the same way.
Mrs. Lee grounded her son, Kevin, for failing a test. She taped his mouth, cuffed his hands, and chained his leg to his desk. She locked him in his room with his books and a recording of her lecture. She told him that he had to study until the test day. Mrs. Orenti grounded her son, Matt, for sneaking out and partying. She taped his mouth, cuffed his hands, and put headphones on his ears. She did this every night for a month, until he stopped sneaking out.
And the more it worked, the more the mothers loved it. They loved the control, the silence, the obedience, and the gratitude.
And the sons? They hated it. They hated the pain, the humiliation, and the boredom. They hated the noise, the pressure, and the guilt.
But they also learned. They learned to avoid trouble, to follow rules, and to please their mothers. They learned that they had no choice, no voice, and no escape. They learned that they had to be good - or else.
And so they were. They were good. They were perfect.
And that's how it is in Maplewood. A quiet and peaceful suburb where nothing ever happens. Well, almost nothing. Except for the occasional scream:
"Please, mom, please. Don't ground me. I'll do anything."
