When 80-year-old Edith was unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair, her son, Henry, placed her in a nursing home. Years later, Henry realized his error when karma caught up with him. He decided to take Edith back in, but when he got to the nursing home, he didn’t find her there.
Henry Griffith was reared by his single mother Edith after his father died when he was just four years old. Henry came into Edith’s life late, and she loved him more than anything else, doing everything she could to make sure he didn’t miss out on anything.
Likewise, Henry was always there for Edith in any way he could, and he adored her as much as she adored him. But things began to fall apart between them when Henry met his “love,” Courtney Jackson, during his university days.
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In the first month of their dating, Courtney convinced Henry to move in with her, so they bought a little condo with their savings from part-time jobs. Then a few years down the line, when they got married, Courtney began to covertly encourage Henry to move in with Edith so they could save money to purchase a larger house later.
When she noticed Henry was a bit hesitant, Courtney persuaded him that it would also be in Edith’s best interest since they would be able to “care” for Edith better if they lived with her. Henry fell for that, and they moved in with Edith shortly after.
Three years later, when they welcomed a baby boy (who they named Liam), Courtney pushed all household chores onto Edith, claiming she was a new mother and didn’t have enough time for housework. She also used Edith as a babysitter when Henry wasn’t home and she went out with her friends.
Edith didn’t like how Courtney treated her, and she complained to Henry about it one day, but Courtney made everything about herself, and Edith had to apologize to her.
Years later, when Liam grew up, there was no need to babysit him, and therefore there was no need for Courtney to have Edith in the house.
As a result, she began inciting Henry against Edith, often exaggerating how Edith was handicapped and never helped her in household chores or how she smelled bad and couldn’t do anything on her own due to being confined in a wheelchair. She hinted that Edith was better off in a nursing home.
At first, Henry was opposed to the idea. He would never leave his mother in a facility such as a nursing home. Quarrels erupted between him and Courtney as a result, and while Edith was disappointed to learn she was the root of their dispute, she was relieved Henry adored her so much to let her go.
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But a year later, when Courtney became pregnant for the second time, she finally got her chance to kick Edith out of the house.
Courtney was heavily pregnant when it all happened, and she fell ill one day. It was her fault that she didn’t take care of herself, yet she blamed everything on Edith.
“Henry,” she said. “I know you love your mother, but the worst could have happened today. It’s good that the doctor gave me some medications. I’ll be well, but your mother…she is dangerous to our baby.”
“It was just an allergy, Courtney. You must have taken something by mistake.”
“No, Henry,” Courtney insisted. “I’m sure it was because your mom…well, she made lunch today, and after that, I fell sick.”
“What? Are you serious? But mom doesn’t cook these days! How did she…”
“That’s what I’m trying to say…she…Maybe she did it by mistake, but we need to send her to a nursing home before it’s too late, Henry. She’s becoming a threat. Today she made lunch, and I fell sick after eating it. The next time, her actions may harm our children. We need to think of this seriously!”
Henry couldn’t bring himself to send Edith to a nursing home, but when he considered the safety of his children, his parental instincts took over. He made the decision to send his mother to a nursing home.
“Mom,” he told Edith over dinner that night. “I was thinking that because you’re in a wheelchair and I’m not always there to care for you, a nursing home would be much better for you. There’d be people to look after you there, and yes, I guess that would be great.”
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“A nursing home?” Edith whispered, teary-eyed. “But Henry, I’m fine here. I don’t need extra care. I can manage on my own.”
“No, mom,” Henry interrupted. “You don’t get it. I have to send you. We have no other choice. That’s the best for me, Courtney, and everyone else. Pack your bags by tomorrow morning. I’ll drop you off before I go to work.”
Edith was frozen stiff, unable to believe Henry was sending her to a nursing facility. She turned at Courtney, who was smiling brightly.
Edith knew she was the cause of Courtney and Henry’s squabbles, but she never anticipated Courtney would mislead Henry in such a way that she’d be kicked out one day. But at this point, even she was tired of proving her innocence every time, so she gave up and agreed to go to the nursing home.
“Can I ask you a favor before I leave, Henry?” she asked, trembling, staring at her hands on her lap.
“Yeah?”
“Will you visit me when I’m there? Not very often, but at least on weekends?”
“Sure, mom,” he said. “No doubts about that!”
“Well, then, thank you,” she muttered as she walked away to her room.
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Unfortunately, Henry never visited her. Months passed, and his second child arrived. He became preoccupied with parenting and forgot about his elderly mother until three years later when he decided to pay her a visit and discovered she was no longer living at the nursing home.
Henry’s life had taken a turn for the worst in these three years. He caught Courtney cheating on him with his best friend, and when he confronted her, she blatantly acknowledged it. And if that wasn’t enough, she’d transferred all of his assets to her name and evicted him from his house. But that wasn’t all.
Courtney incited Liam against Henry to the point where he hated him. Once, Liam told him he didn’t want him around him. At that point, Henry remembered Edith and how he’d kicked her out.
Having realized his dreadful mistake, Henry wanted to apologize to her and bring her back. However, when he arrived at the nursing home, he did not find her there. He inquired about her at the reception desk, and it was then that he discovered something shocking. “She left here two years ago,” the receptionist remarked after looking over Edith’s file.
“What? But where has she gone? I’m her only living relative,” Henry complained, desperate for answers.
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The receptionist sighed and placed a piece of paper on the table. “Go to this address,” she instructed. “She left after marrying our old janitor, David. Why wouldn’t she, after all? She frequently complained that her son didn’t care about her at all. David treated her as if she were a member of his family. They were madly in love. They deserved to be with each other.”
Henry couldn’t believe his ears. His mother was completely alone and depressed because of him! He wanted to make amends with her, so he went to the address on the note.
A few hours later, he came to a halt in front of a run-down cottage near a tiny farm. He sighed and knocked, and Edith answered. She was still in a wheelchair, but she looked way happier and healthier than before.
“Henry? Oh, my boy! How did you?….”
Henry felt so embarrassed that he couldn’t look her in the eyes. He bowed his head in shame.
“I’m sorry, mom,” he murmured, wiping away his tears. “I apologize for all I’ve done up to this point. I pushed you away to a nursing home, and now that I’ve lost my children to Courtney after she divorced me and kicked me out, I understand how you must have felt. I only get to see my children on occasion, mom, and I know how much it hurts. Please forgive me if possible.”
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“Jesus!” gasped Edith. “Henry, when did all of this happen?”
“It’s been three years, mom. But I don’t blame anyone. I – I deserve this!”
“No, Henry, you don’t!” she said, and Henry looked at her, stunned. “Two wrongs don’t make a right, Henry. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is ridiculous! Wise people move on, as I did. I forgave you long ago. Come here…” She embraced him and patted him on the back. “What you did was bad, extremely wrong, but you realized it, and you want to correct your mistake. People who want to mend their ways should be forgiven. So stop blaming yourself.”
“You’re not angry at me?” he asked, sobbing. “Oh! Thank you, mom. I am so glad you’re happy with David. I found out at the nursing home. I am so happy for you!”
“Oh, I love you, Henry. I am so happy to have you back. David would love to meet you!”
Later that day, Henry met David, and he thanked him for looking after his mother all this time. He also bought a house close to David and Edith’s home so he wouldn’t be too far away from her ever again.
A month later, Henry surprised David and Edith with a destination wedding for them in Miami with his savings. The elderly couple got married in a beautiful ceremony. It was there that Henry met Clara, the woman who not only accepted him but also David and Edith, and they all moved in together like a happy family.
What can we learn from this story?
- A mother’s love has no bounds. Despite Henry’s harsh behavior, Edith forgave him.
- You can’t avoid karma. Henry kicked Edith out at one time and eventually lost his children, home, and everything.
- Never trust others’ opinions on someone. Henry would not have suffered so much if he had not trusted Courtney when she called Edith “dangerous” to his family.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who lies on the couch all day long and mocks his wife for the mess in their house until their mute son interferes.
Little Boy Cries & Begs Mom Not to Take Him to Daycare until She Storms into Facility – Story of the Day
A three-year-old throws tantrums and begs his mother not to go to daycare. Worried, she goes in unannounced and what she sees shocks her.
“No, mommy, no!” Johnny threw himself on the floor and started screaming. Marla Evans sighed. Not again! She looked at her watch. If he threw a full tantrum, she would be late yet again.
She gazed at her three-year-old with exasperation. Johnny had been going to daycare for two years and always loved it. For the last week, out of the blue, he’d been making a scene, begging Marla not to take him.
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She’d spoken to her pediatrician, and the doctor had told her that toddlers often went through the ‘terrible threes.’ “Stop it!” Marla heard herself scream, then she saw the look of fear in her son’s eyes. Something wasn’t right.
Marla sat down on the floor next to Johnny and coaxed him into her lap. He sobbed, pressing his little face against hers. Marla decided this was more than a tantrum, but what could be wrong?
“Honey,” Marla said gently. “I’m sorry. Mommy didn’t mean to snap.” She rocked him until he stopped crying and asked gently, “Why don’t you like daycare anymore?”
Raising a child is about setting and respecting boundaries.
Johnny shivered in her arms and whispered, “I don’t like!”
“But why, sweetie?” Marla asked. “Are the other kids mean?” But Johnny wouldn’t answer. Marla sighed. “Baby, mommy needs to go to work, but I tell you what… I’m going to come and get you from daycare early today, OK?”
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Johnny sat up in her lap. “No lunch?” He looked up at her anxiously. “No lunch, mommy?”
Lunch? The worried mom frowned. What was happening with her son?
Marla dropped Johnny off after promising she’d fetch him before lunch. He walked into the daycare quietly but threw Marla a pleading look that left her heartbroken.
She went to work and asked her boss for the afternoon off to deal with a personal issue. Thankfully, her boss was a mom too and understood!
Marla was determined to get to the bottom of Johnny’s reluctance to go to daycare. She decided to drop in — not before lunchtime as she promised Johnny — but during the meal.
Johnny’s daycare didn’t allow the parents into the children’s playrooms or the dining room, but each door of the facility had a large, clear glass window. Hopefully, Marla would be able to see what — if anything — was going on.
When she arrived, the receptionist told her the children were having lunch. Marla walked to the dining room and peered in. The kids were all sitting at their tables, eating.
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A teacher or an assistant supervised each table. Marla quickly spotted Johnny. There was a woman Marla didn’t recognize sitting next to him.
As Marla watched, the woman picked up Johnny’s spoon, scooped up a portion of mashed potatoes, and pressed it against his lips. “Eat!” she cried. Johnny shook his head violently, his mouth firmly closed, tears running down his cheeks.
“Open your mouth and eat!” the woman said angrily. Johnny was looking deeply distressed. The woman cried, “You are going to sit here until you clear your plate!”
Marla saw a small portion of mince, mash, and vegetables left on Johnny’s plate, and she knew her son. Johnny was not a big eater; she never pushed it when he told her he’d had enough.
Johnny opened his mouth to protest, and the teacher quickly pushed the spoon in. Marla saw her son choke and sputter. She’d had enough! She opened the door and stormed in.
“Get away from my son!” she cried.
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The woman looked up, and her mouth hung open. “Parents aren’t allowed in the dining room!” she cried.
“Then they should be,” Marla said, reining in her anger. “Can’t you see Johnny’s had enough? He’s a healthy boy, but he is not a big eater. As an educator, you should know how traumatic force-feeding a child can be.
“Being forced to clean up the plate is an old-fashioned notion. You should be aware of the statistics and the causes of obesity and eating disorders in children.
“And one of them is making food an issue! My little boy is an active child, and if he feels he’s had enough, you need to respect that and not force him to eat.
“As for shoving food into a child’s mouth in that way, it is reprehensible! You should certainly know better. These children are not puppets for you to manipulate at will!
“They are little people with needs and a will of their own. If you don’t respect their boundaries, you teach them they don’t deserve respect. I don’t think that is a message you want to pass on!”
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The teacher flushed a bright red and got to her feet. “I never…” she cried.
“That’s a pity,” Marla said crisply. “Because if this happens again, I will ensure you are out of a job! I’m not sending my son to daycare to be brutalized!”
Marla walked over to Johnny and tenderly wiped his mouth. “Come on, honey,” she said gently. “Mommy promised you a treat this afternoon!”
Marla had a long talk with Johnny, and there was no tantrum the next morning. Over the next few weeks, she popped into the daycare at lunch times just to keep an eye on things.
The teacher never forced Johnny to eat again, and the boy recovered his good humor and enthusiasm.
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What can we learn from this story?
- Children and their boundaries should be respected. Johnny’s teacher was teaching him that adults had the right to impose their will on children against their welfare.
- Raising a child is about setting and respecting boundaries — theirs and ours. A child whose boundaries are not respected is insecure and has low self-esteem.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a little boy who learns all about love by watching how his father treats his mother.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
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