CLARKSTON, MI – A mother in Michigan who wanted to teach her children a valuable lesson about conserving energy never imagined her note would go viral.
Autumn Brandon is from Clarkston, Michigan. Michigan winters definitely get cold, and Brandon says it’s been chilly this week with temperatures dipping into the 30’s at night. But she just wasn’t ready for her family to turn on the heat.
She wanted to teach her kids the importance of conserving energy and emphasize that gas isn’t free, so on Monday, she posted a note on her thermostat that said:
Unless you answer YES to all of these… Do not turn on the heat!!!
Are you wearing a hoodie, pants, socks?
Is it November?
Do you pay the gas bill?
Brandon posted the photo to Facebook because she thought her friends would think it was funny. One of her friends shared the post, so she decided to make it public.
By the next time Brandon logged onto Facebook, 33,000 people had interacted with the post.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen,” Brandon told FOX59.
Brandon has three kids, and she says they are totally unfazed by her recent popularity.
Photo courtesy of Autumn Brandon
“It’s funny because when my sons found out the post went viral, they just said, ‘Mom, that’s just 33,000 people that now know how much you nag us,’” Autumn said.
Over 25,000 people have commented on the post, and not everyone have been kind. She said some people have been questioning her parenting skills, saying she shouldn’t have children if she can’t afford the gas bill.
But Brandon is taking it all in stride. She says her only regrets are not using better handwriting and double-checking her spelling before posting it.
“If I would have known this was going to go viral, I would have maybe typed it up or something and checked my spelling,” said Autumn, laughing.
