Parents Favor Younger Son over His Brother, Neglected Boy Disappears and Returns after 11 Years – Story of the Day

Peter was eleven when his baby brother, Carl, was born, and he immediately noticed how his parents stopped caring about him. At 17, he finally ran away, and they didn't even look for him. However, he returned 11 years later and did something unbelievable for his family.

Peter looked at the empty streets of Pasadena, California, and wondered what he would do with his life. It was a dry night, and he only had his backpack on him. Nothing else. He was 17 years old and had just run away from home. He didn't even leave a note behind, and it was pretty late.

A few cars passed by, and he wondered what to do now. He had finally done it. He had gotten away from his parents and their neglect over the past six years. Things hadn't always been that way. At least, it didn't seem that way to him.

His parents, Marcy and George, had treated him fine for almost his entire childhood. They seemed to be good people who cared about him and were always there for him. It was hard to imagine them another way until Carl was born.

"They truly forgot about me," he told himself, slamming his laptop close. But he opened it again and stared at the house listing for a long time.

For years, he had wanted a sibling. He once even asked Santa for one in a Christmas letter. His parents laughed at the time, and he remembered how they said, "We'll see what we can do." But he was a little boy back then.

It wasn't until he was 11 years old that they told him about Marcy's pregnancy, and he was the happiest pre-teen in the world. He helped his dad prepare the baby's room, saved his allowance to buy him some toys, and was looking forward to becoming the best big brother ever.

But things took a turn immediately after the birth of his younger brother, Carl. At first, he understood that his parents were tired due to the constant crying at night and the extra effort of having a second child. He was mature enough for that.

Unfortunately, things started to get worse for him. His parents gave Carl all their attention. All of it and more. Soon enough, they stopped showing up to his soccer games, they would forget to pick him up from school, and they even disregarded his birthdays since then. There seemed to be no reason why.

Eventually, most of the house chores were dumped on his shoulders under the guise of "teaching him responsibility." He did the dishes. He mopped the floors. He did the laundry. But they didn't acknowledge his actions, which he did only to get back in their good graces.

Nothing was enough to get even a smidgen of his parents' attention back. They simply stopped caring about him. Their world revolved around Carl, and it didn't make sense to Peter. What had he done wrong? He always blamed himself. However, he never imagined what would happen next.

A few months after his 17th birthday, Peter heard his parents discussing in their room. They weren't angry, but they were talking earnestly. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"We're finally going to get rid of him soon," George said. Peter frowned, not understanding what he was talking about.

"I know. He's going to be 18 soon, and he'll be out of the house in no time," Marcy answered, a smile in her voice. "I wish Carl had been our first son, and we wouldn't have gone through the hassle."

Did Peter get it wrong? Was his perception askew? It seemed like his parents had been good all along, but were they just pretending the entire time until Carl was born? He couldn't understand.

"I can't take Peter's constant whining about his soccer games or whatever. He does nothing around the house, and we pay for everything, yet he has the gall to complain. It's just insane. We really raised a spoiled little brat. But it's almost over," his father continued, and Peter didn't need to hear any more about it.

He was heartbroken. All he did around the house, even caring for his brother, went unnoticed, and his parents thought he was a spoiled kid. He had never even gotten into trouble at school. It didn't make sense at all. "Why do they hate me like this? Why do they want to kick me out?" he asked himself and went to his room.

Looking around at the posters on his walls and his unkempt bed, he came to a decision. He grabbed his backpack and was out the door immediately with absolutely no plans of what he would do next. But he would think of something.

***

Eleven years later, Peter had luckily made something of himself. It was challenging with no home or support system, but he got a job at a bakery. The owner let him sleep in the back for a few months until he graduated high school and started attending part-time classes while he worked. He rented an apartment with some of his college friends, and things turned out well.

He was now a co-manager of a startup company in Silicon Valley, and he wanted his parents to know. It might be silly, considering how they never tried to find him when he left the house. But he still craved their love and approval. At the very least, he wanted them to know that he was successful and doing well.

Therefore, he looked them up and discovered something he couldn't believe: his childhood home was up for sale. It didn't make sense. His parents loved that house. Why would they move? But as he searched deeper through the web, he found out something else.

His father had been fired from his job several years ago, and they had been barely scraping by since then. Some aunts and uncles, who lived scattered all over the country, set up a GoFundMe to help them, but everyone was struggling in the tough economy.

Furthermore, Peter found a post on Facebook made by his dad. He posted a link to the house's listing and said they were desperately looking for a buyer as they needed to pay some debts.

Peter knew none of that was his fault, but he couldn't help feeling bad for them. Meanwhile, it was also surprising that they didn't try to find him and beg for money. They couldn't even do that.

"They truly forgot about me," he told himself, slamming his laptop close. But he opened it again and stared at the house listing for a long time.

***

"Thank you, Mr. Collins. We're so grateful you found a buyer for us," George told the real estate agent, shaking his hand rapidly.

"Honestly, Mr. Anderson. We had a buyer come out of the blue. I thought this sale could take months because the market isn't great right now. But someone with a considerable amount of savings came forward with a great offer. I had to take it immediately. He's coming for a tour of the house today. Would that be alright?" the real estate agent asked.

Marcy and George agreed immediately, thankful to be getting money to pay off their significant debt and move on with their lives.

But both their jaws fell when they saw Peter later getting out of a luxury sedan and walking up the path to the front door.

"Peter?" Marcy whispered, her hand to her chest.

"Hello, Mom," he said with an expressionless face.

George cleared his throat. "Hey there, son," he forced out.

"Oh! This is your son? That's wonderful! I didn't know you had another child. Well, isn't it wonderful that the house is going to remain in the family?" Mr. Collins chirped, but then he noticed the awkward atmosphere around him and made a wise decision. "Let me give you some space to talk."

George spoke up when the realtor walked away. "What the hell are you doing? Why did you buy our house?"

"It was my house once too. And I believe the words you're looking for are 'thank you,'" Peter countered sarcastically.

Marcy grabbed George's arm. "Thank you, Peter. But I mean you disappeared years ago. What are you doing back?"

He shrugged. "I was never that far. But you would've known that had you looked for me at all. I only left because that's what you wanted all along. Wasn't it?"

"And now you're back to get back at us for that, aren't you?" George demanded, his face red. Peter couldn't believe that his father was treating him this way even after all these years and the favor he had done for them.

"I'm not trying to get anything at all. Now, you have the money to pay whatever debts you have… and you can stay in this house rent-free for as long as you want," he revealed, stunning his parents. "I'm doing this only because you were great parents to me for 11 years of my life. This is the last time you'll hear from me or see me. Consider this my way of forgiving you for treating me like a second-class citizen in my own home. Goodbye."

Peter turned away before they could say anything, got in his car, and drove off. He kept his promise and never saw his parents again, although they tried to communicate with him on several occasions. He had finally realized they weren't worth it. He also stopped blaming himself for their attitude, their neglect, and their uncalled-for callousness toward him.

At last, he had forgiven them, but he would never forget.

What can we learn from this story?

• Parents must love, care for, and respect all their children equally no matter what because actions have consequences. Marcy and George started treating Peter poorly when their second child was born. Peter never knew why, and it haunted him for years.
• Learn to forgive even when it seems impossible. Peter finally forgave his parents for their poor treatment and did something extraordinary for them. But forgiving is not forgetting.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a mother who preferred her son over her daughter and was hit by karma later on.

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