Ep 5. Teacher's Pest

Tia Mowry-Hardrict stars in the family comedy Instant Mom, playing Stephanie, a party-girl turned stepmom when she marries the full-time dad of three children. Instant Mom follows Stephanie as she learns to balance her new marriage, step-children, and career. In season 3 episode 5, titled Teacher's Pest, Stephanie's youngest stepson, Aaron, is causing chaos at school and earning the title of teacher's pest. Despite Stephanie's efforts to help Aaron get his grades back on track, she realizes that the root of the problem may be something deeper than just bad behavior.

The episode opens with Stephanie and the family gathered around the kitchen table discussing the upcoming school year. Aaron is less than thrilled, as he is feeling the pressure of starting middle school. The next day, the family drops Aaron off for his first day, and Stephanie even gives him an encouraging pep talk. However, things quickly go awry as Aaron immediately begins causing trouble in class. He disrupts lessons, talks back to teachers, and even gets detention for fighting. Stephanie is shocked to hear about Aaron's behavior and decides to get involved to help him.

Stephanie visits Aaron's school and meets with his teachers, hoping to find a solution. She talks with Ms. Miller, Aaron's science teacher and learns that he's been disruptive in class, often shouting out answers and drawing attention to himself. In English class, Aaron has been refusing to participate, and his grades are suffering as a result. Stephanie takes all of this information in stride and starts brainstorming ways to help Aaron improve his grades and behavior.

Stephanie works with her husband, Charlie, to come up with a plan. They suggest that Aaron meet with a tutor and that they limit his access to video games until his grades improve. Aaron is not happy with these solutions and pushes back, refusing to work with a tutor and sneaking video games in when he can. Stephanie is frustrated with the lack of progress and decides to dig deeper. She meets with Ms. Miller again, who suggests that Aaron may be acting out due to feeling overwhelmed.

Stephanie begins talking with Aaron about his feelings and discovers that he's been feeling left out and unimportant since his older siblings have been getting all of the attention. She reassures him that he is just as important and valuable as his siblings and sets up a special "Aaron day" where he gets to pick the family activity. This helps to boost Aaron's confidence, and his behavior and grades begin to improve, much to the relief of Stephanie and the rest of the family.

In conclusion, Instant Mom season 3 episode 5, "Teacher's Pest" follows Stephanie as she tries to help her youngest stepson, Aaron, navigate the challenges of middle school. The episode deals with issues of responsibility, behavior, and the importance of family support. It's a heartwarming episode that teaches important lessons about communication and the power of love and acceptance.