Parents are usually proud of their kids when they finally get out into the real world and get a job.
And most moms and dads are especially happy to see their children learn the value of a hard day’s work.
But one proud mom posted a viral video of them at work that got her, her son, and his friends all fired.
Mississippi Burger King fires a mom and her whole crew
Shakayla Dixon says she, her teenage son, and his friends were all fired from their jobs at a local Burger King over a social media post she put up.
The Instagram and Facebook post, which has since gone viral, shows the boys taking the summer job and staying off the streets.
Dixon happened to be the manager of the Clinton, Mississippi Burger King and had hired her 15-year-old son and his four friends to work there.
Her goal was to help the boys earn some extra money and keep them away from street violence until the school year started in the fall.
Her son Corderrion Valentine told local news outlet WLBT, “I felt like it was a good thing because we could have really been out doing violence or shooting or killing, but we went out and worked.”
His mother was, as expected, thrilled about hiring the boys and praised them online while she showed the teens posing in front of the store and working in the kitchen.
Once the video was uploaded, it received over 90,000 likes and even captured the attention of actor Nick Cannon.
Cannon praised the teens for “staying out of trouble” and for their hard work.
On Dixon’s Instagram post, Cannon wrote, “Now this is the wave! Staying out of trouble, and getting the bag the right way! This is how it’s done, kings.”
Unfortunately, Burger King was not as kind.
Dixon got a phone call from the Burger King’s regional manager not long after the posts went viral.
According to her, “She [the manager] said we don’t want to turn something good into something bad, but we have some concerns.”
“The concerns she had were the fact that Corderrion is my son and how much money they were getting paid,” she said.
Dixon noted that her ex-manager said that “a minor is supposed to get paid differently” from adults, which she added was never told to her before she got the phone call.
Burger King pay policy was news to the mom
Dixon told the news outlet that in her opinion, when it came to the policy, “I feel like policy wasn’t in play in the beginning.”
As a result of this, she and the four teens were all fired from their jobs at the Mississippi Burger King.
Valentine said he had wanted to be a positive role model for his peers and wanted to show people that hard work pays off.
He also said while losing the job was tough, he “felt like it was a fun experience to get you ready for the real world.”
And the teen still thinks the message about him and his friends taking the job will help to show other kids in his generation they don’t have to be on the streets causing trouble.
“I hope that it portrayed to a lot of people to do things good and stop the violence,” he said.
Now it’s time for Burger King to make things right and show that hard work does pay off.