Mom Asks Old Man to Babysit Her 3 Kids, Returns Home and Finds Nobody There — Story of the Day

A single mother asks her old neighbor to babysit her children, but when she returns, her house is empty, with no sign of a single soul. She panics and plans to call the cops until she receives a call from an unknown number, revealing something shocking to her.

Molly Goodman was a single mother of three who had only relocated to a new neighborhood following her split from her husband. Since she was new to the neighborhood, Molly hadn't had the time to interact much with her neighbors.

However, she'd heard a lot of rumors about her 82-year-old neighbor Morgan Palmer. Some neighbors claimed he was psychologically sick, while others accused him of murdering his kid years before.

Molly was not the sort to believe in gossip, so she was unconcerned about what others said. However, when she first saw Mr. Palmer, she did feel he was a little out of the norm with his shabby attire, old cane, and isolated lifestyle.

One day, Molly was returning from the supermarket when she ran into Mr. Palmer. He was standing by a signal light and glancing around even after the light went green. Molly realized he needed help to cross the street, so she approached him.

"Good day, Mr. Palmer. I'm Molly. I've only lately moved to your neighborhood. Can I help you with something?" she asked gently.

"Oh my god! What did that old man do with my kids?" She was shaking with anxiety.

The old man smiled at her. "Oh, Molly! Yes, yes, I saw you a few days ago! Would you mind helping me cross the street, sweetheart?"

"Sure, Mr. Palmer, please come with me," she responded, smiling.

As the two reached the other end of the street, Mr. Palmer thanked her. "You are a kind woman, Molly. Have a good day," he said and walked away.

"You too, Mr. Palmer," Molly said to herself as she watched him slowly walk away on his cane.

After meeting Mr. Palmer that day, Molly realized he wasn't strange but just a lonely soul who was misjudged by everyone. She was disappointed that people believed the rumors without even trying to get to know him.

Before moving to the neighborhood, Molly had left her previous job and was on the lookout for a new one. When she finally found one, it turned out she'd be on a trial period for the first week, working 14 hours a day, including night shifts.

Molly was hesitant to accept the job because she had no one to babysit her 3-year-old twin sons, Ben and Adam, and 5-year-old daughter, Cassy. But then Molly remembered Mr. Palmer.

Once, she was returning from the amusement park with her children when she noticed Mr. Palmer sitting on a resting chair on his porch. She stopped by and greeted him, and during the chat, Mr. Palmer disclosed that he suffered from insomnia, which is why he only slept for 5 to 6 hours at a time, and that, too, late in the morning.

Molly figured she could have Mr. Palmer babysit the kids while she was away, even during her night shifts! When she asked him about it, she was delighted that he was happy to help.

When Mr. Palmer arrived at Molly's house to babysit the kids, the children got along well with him. He was cheerfully playing with the kids while she got ready and left for work.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Palmer. I'm on night shift today, so I'll be back early in the morning," she explained before turning to her children. "No troubling Mr. Palmer, children, okay?"

"Okay, mommy!" Cassy replied cheerfully.

"Have a pleasant day at work, Molly. And don't worry about the kids," he remarked, smiling, as he and the kids waved goodbye to her.

Molly was relieved to see her children relaxed and happy around Mr. Palmer. She thought her kids were in safe hands. However, when she got home from work early in the morning, she saw the front door left open, and her children and Mr. Palmer were nowhere to be seen.

"Cassy? Ben…Adam? Honey, please come out if you're hiding somewhere. Mommy is afraid," she called, but no one responded.

Molly's heart fell as she searched the entire house, including the backyard and garage, but couldn't find her children. She even called Mr. Palmer, but he didn't answer. "Oh my god! What did that old man do with my kids?" She was shaking with anxiety, and all the horrible rumors about Mr. Palmer were running through her mind.

She was about to call the cops and file a missing persons report when her phone suddenly rang. The call was from an unknown number, and she was informed that her son Adam was in the hospital.

Molly grabbed the car keys and dashed to the hospital, where she learned that Adam had an epilepsy attack and Mr. Palmer had brought him there. She had forgotten to tell Mr. Palmer about Adam's condition, but the old man, thankfully, took her son to the hospital in time.

Molly burst into tears when she saw Ben and Cassy outside Adam's ward, next to Mr. Palmer.

"Oh, Molly!" he cried as he saw her. "Adam...he had an attack, and I didn't want to leave Ben and Cassy at home alone, so I brought them with me. I apologize for not calling you. I needed to get Adam here quickly. But I requested that a doctor contact you. I'm sorry, darling. I left my phone at home."

Molly felt terrible for judging Mr. Palmer and was beyond grateful to him. So after Adam was released from the hospital, she often dropped by the older man's home to help him around the house.

One day, when she was at Mr. Palmer's house, he revealed that he was a widower and had a fight with his son, Ethan, years ago, which is why he never visited him. He also said that he had a little granddaughter, Lily, who was being raised by Ethan alone after Ethan's wife died.

Mr. Palmer laughed when Molly told him that some of his neighbors suspected him of murdering his son. "I feel so bad, Mr. Palmer," she chuckled. "To be honest, I did believe them for a brief moment!"

He grinned. "I'm delighted you realized that wasn't the case, Molly! This old man can't even properly hold a knife. Killing would need far too much strength!"

Molly felt terrible about the older man being alone, so she urged him to call Ethan. Mr. Palmer was hesitant, but when she insisted, he caved in, which resulted in the reunion of the father and son after so many years. Mr. Palmer was in tears when Ethan and little Lily visited him. He couldn't stop thanking Molly for it.

Eventually, Molly and Ethan fell in love and got married, and Mr. Palmer, who everyone in the neighborhood had shunned, is now the proud grandfather of four lovely children.

What can we learn from this story?

• Never judge someone until you know their whole story. Mr. Palmer was just a lonely soul and not a weirdo as his neighbors had assumed.
• Don't trust others' opinions of someone. Molly chose not to trust her neighbors and the negative rumors about Mr. Palmer, and she was right. Mr. Palmer turned out to be a kind man who saved her son's life.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who is worried when a blind girl he sees selling flowers on his way to work disappears one day, so he searches for her.

This account is inspired by our reader's story 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. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.