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Mom’s no-nonsense note about turning up the thermostat goes viral

Posted at 6:14 AM, Oct 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-14 09:09:43-04

CLARKSTON, Mich. – Autumn Brandon from Clarkston, Mich., wanted to teach her children a valuable lesson about conserving energy, but she never imagined her note would go viral.

Michigan winters definitely get cold, and Brandon says it’s been chilly this week, with temperatures dipping into the 30s 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 to emphasize that gas isn’t free. So, on Monday she posted a note on her thermostat:

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, about 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 who she says they are totally unfazed by her recent popularity.

Photo courtesy of Autumn Brandon

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,’” she said.

More than 25,000 people have commented on the post, but not everyone have been kind. Brandon said some people have been questioning her parenting skills and said she shouldn’t have children if she can’t afford the gas bill.

But Brandon is taking it all in stride. She says she only regrets she doesn’t have better handwriting and failed to double-check her spelling before posting the note.

“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.