Jesse is not a model son. The 17-year-old already smokes a pack of cigarettes a day and screams at his mom, dad, and siblings. He is failing his classes and getting into fights.
To set Jesse straight, his parents sent him to live with a new, stricter family for a few weeks on the docuseries, World's Strictest Parents. The troubled teen was not at all receptive to his host family, Eddie and Susan Tilley.
Eddie wants Jesse to learn the value of communicating and reflecting on his feelings, instead of reacting with hostility. Jesse believes no matter what he says to his parents, things will escalate into an argument.
That's when Eddie handed Jesse a letter from his father. Jesse clearly didn't expect the message to affect him so profoundly. In the note, his father was able to say things he normally wouldn't.
"I was reading things he never really said before because I never gave him a chance to say it," Jesse says.
In the letter, his father expresses disappointment in Jesse's bad behavior. However, he also says how much he loves and believes in him.
"I screwed up pretty much everything," Jesse says, feeling guilty. Then Eddie chimes in, saying that there is still so much time to change. If both parties are willing, they can have the kind of father-son relationship every kid dreams of.
"My dad means probably more than anything to me," Jesse says. "I am going to try to be there and try to be the son my parents would want to have."
Raising teenagers can be difficult, but Jesse and his father show us that there is always room to move forward and change.
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