Our Whole Life We Disregarded Our Younger Son, and He Found a Way to Punish Us – Story of the Day

Our younger son was an unwelcomed surprise, and we didn’t give him as much love as we did our older boy. But we learned a harsh lesson many years later.

“You can’t be pregnant! Chelsea, we already have a child. I don’t want another one!” my husband bellowed.

“I’m so sorry, Samuel. I don’t know how this happened. It’s a huge surprise to me too,” I answered.

“We can’t afford another kid, so go to the doctor and get rid of it,” he told me. I agreed readily. One child was more than enough for our family, and our son, Tyler, was perfect.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Mercer. It’s just too late to terminate your pregnancy,” the doctor informed me.

“You have to do something! We don’t want this baby. Please help me,” I begged.

“Mrs. Mercer. I can talk you through some options, but termination is not legal at this point. Your pregnancy is too far advanced,” the doctor continued. I listened to his options, but none of them were convincing enough.

I had just recovered from my first pregnancy and didn’t want to lose my figure again. “Ma’am, I know this was not planned. But maybe you were meant to have this baby. He might grow up to cure cancer!” the doctor added.

“Maybe…” I replied as I left his office. Samuel was furious about this situation, but we couldn’t do anything about it. We were having a second son. Anthony was born a few months later. I waited to feel that same bond with him that I did with Tyler, but it didn’t come.

All Samuel and I could think about was how we were going to afford two children. I started working from home, and my figure took a turn for the worse. Waking up to care for Anthony was the worst part of my nights.

I began to resent him, and my husband did as well. But we never felt that way about Tyler. He was the light of our lives. Things didn’t change as the kids grew older. Anthony was just a nuisance, while Tyler was perfect.

“Here, Tyler! This is the new sneakers you asked for,” Samuel said to our son. Those shoes were expensive, but our son deserved the best. Tyler opened the box and frowned.

“This is not the color I asked for,” he said.

“I’m sorry, Ty. That’s the only color they had left at the store. But it’s great because you look so handsome in blue!” I gushed.

“I guess it’s ok,” he agreed and went to his room. Suddenly, Anthony spoke up.

“Did you get me some sneakers too, Dad? My shoes are so worn, and I think they are a little too small,” Anthony asked my husband.

“This moment is not about you, Anthony. You’re always so ungrateful for everything. Be happy you have shoes at all!” Samuel yelled and turned around. Anthony started to cry, but I was having none of that.

“Don’t you start with the waterworks and manipulation now! You have many chores waiting, and the world doesn’t stop because you didn’t get a pair of sneakers,” I told him.

“Mom, but I really need new shoes. I don’t care what brand they are. Why does Tyler get everything?” Anthony continued through wails.

“Enough, Anthony! Tyler deserved those shoes. He’s our firstborn! You were unplanned, and you ruined my body. Now, get to your chores, or your father will be even angrier,” I said and left him to it.

Years passed much the same. Tyler was 17 years old and would be graduating from high school soon. Anthony rebelled and caused much trouble, but we learned to ignore his antics eventually.

“I’m leaving,” Anthony told us one night while the three of us were having dinner in front of the television.

“Please, Anthony. Where would you go? Now, go fetch me a beer from the fridge!” Samuel demanded.

“I will not get you anything. I’m leaving this house forever. Goodbye!” he said and left.

“Shouldn’t you do something about Anthony?” Tyler asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about your brother, Tyler. He’ll be back soon. He’s just 16 and has nowhere to go,” I answered and continued watching the show. Anthony didn’t return, and frankly, we didn’t miss him. I hear he was staying with older friends.

As the years went by, Tyler became even more demanding. We thought he would have a job at some point, but he stayed home playing video games after dropping out of college. However, Samuel and I were happy when he was happy.

This world was so hard for talented people, and Tyler needed some time. Eventually, we gave him a new house, hoping he would feel motivated and independent. But the economy crashed, and we couldn’t pay our rent anymore.

We went to live with him for a while, although he wasn’t happy about it. Eventually, his girlfriend gave him an ultimatum. “Tyler, you can’t throw us out. We’re your parents!” I begged.

“I’m sorry, Mom. But Sophia doesn’t want you guys here anymore. This is my house, and you guys need to find somewhere else to live,” Tyler replied.

“We gave you everything, including this house! How can you do this to us?” Samuel bellowed.

“Leave before I call the police!” Tyler yelled.

“What are we going to do, Chelsea?” my husband asked me. We were sitting at the bus stop with our bags packed and nowhere to go.

“I have an idea, darling. I recently heard that Anthony is doing really well. We should move in with him,” I told him. So, we got on the bus and went to Anthony.

“What are you guys doing here?” he asked after opening the door.

“Honey! We’re here to see you!” I said cheerfully.

“Yes, son! We haven’t seen you in so long and wanted to visit you,” Samuel added.

“In so long? It’s been 15 years since I ran away, Dad. You didn’t stop me then,” Anthony added.

“Oh, Anthony. We thought you were coming back soon. You were always rebellious at that age,” I explained our reasoning.

“It was not rebellion. My life in that house was hell. Now, what do you guys really want?” Anthony asked.

“Anthony, your brother threw us out of the house. We need to stay with you for a while,” Samuel revealed.

“There it is. You need something from me,” Anthony hissed.

“We heard you were doing so well, so it won’t be a problem for you. You can even help us pay some debts and get back on our feet,” I continued.

“You have a lot of nerve, mom. You can’t stay here. You guys treated me horribly my entire life. You’re not my parents. Go back to Tyler and see if he changes his mind. Although my spoiled brother probably doesn’t care about you at all,” Anthony said and closed the door in our faces.

I couldn’t believe my own son had done this, and Samuel was mad. But as we walked around aimlessly with nowhere to go, I thought back to the way we treated him. He was right. We treated him like a servant at best. I often called him a burden.

“Anthony was always a brat. We shouldn’t have expected more,” Samuel started ranting.

“Stop, Sam. This is our fault. This is our karma for all those years, and you know it,” I told him. My husband couldn’t deny it either. This was our punishment.

What can we learn from this story?

1. Don’t pick favorites. As parents, you have to treat all your children equally, even if some are unplanned.
2. The harshest lessons might take some time. Samuel and Chelsea didn’t learn the error of their ways until years later during their most vulnerable time.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a father who left his daughter for many years, but the truth was shocking.

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