Boy Sells Lemonade to Prove to Army Dad He Can Take Care of Mom, One Day He Buys a Car — Story of the Day

When his army dad challenged his ability to look after his mother, a young boy began selling lemonade on the street to prove him wrong. One day, the boy excitedly revealed to his father the expensive car he had bought for his mom.

Sam was plotting his plans for the summer break with his friends. He was excited and had been waiting for his vacation. But a phone call from his dad from the military base changed everything one day.

"Hey, Sam, my lazy little boy! How is mom?" his dad Daniel Moore asked him on a video call.

"Okay, listen up...I don't know when I'll be coming home. So, till then, I want you to take care of your mom, alright? I want you to earn money and don't waste time idling around. Do something useful, okay? Don't be lazy!"

His dad's words hurt Sam. At that point, he questioned why responsibilities landed on his shoulders too early, but he wanted to prove to his father that he wasn't lazy. The 15-year-old decided to cancel his vacation plans and do something for the family to prove his father wrong...

"Are you sure you'll be able to do this?" Sarah asked Sam, who was busy counting the allowance he'd saved for his vacation.

"You wait and see, dad...I will get mom a car...I will do anything to make her happy."

"Yeah, I'm putting up a lemonade stand to earn money. I'm not lazy like how dad thinks I am."

Sarah was worried because she knew Sam was giving up on his dream vacation just to prove his father wrong.

The teen sought his friends' help and put up a small lemonade stand in the park near his house. He knew this would be the hotspot for his business as it was at the season's peak, flooding with tourists.

Each day, Sam would leave a message or call his dad to inform him about his daily income.

"Dad, would you believe this? I made $20 today! I'm sure I'll bring home more tomorrow."

But Daniel was not pleased with his son's efforts. He wanted to push him more and help him become responsible. So, the dad had an idea in mind and knew how to fuel Sam's determination.

"$20? That's nice. You should keep that up. Your mom's birthday is coming up. Maybe you can get her something with some of what you're earning. I intend to surprise her with a car too."

"A car? Oh, dad, don't worry...I'll get it for mom!" an excited Sam told his father.

Daniel was astonished by his son's confidence.

"Really? How are you going to afford a car? You need to work really hard for it. That's going to need a lot of money. Just get something you can afford for your mom and you can leave the car to me."

But Sam was determined to prove to his dad that anything was possible with determination alone. He assured Daniel that he would do anything for his mom, including buying her a car!

Curious to see how far his son would go to make his mom happy, Daniel conceded.

"You wait and see, dad...I will get mom a car...I will do anything to make her happy!" Sam exclaimed and Daniel smiled.

But day by day, Sam's determination dwindled. He had boasted about getting the car but he had no idea how he would do it.

He looked at the savings he'd set aside. He barely had $260 in total. Sam was upset, and when he ran the math and searched online, he realized he would need a minimum of $15K or $16K to afford a nice car.

That's when a stranger approached him at his lemonade stand and had a refreshing drink.

"That tastes fantastic! Here, give me another glass, please!"

The man, who later introduced himself as Jonathan Mill, became Sam's regular customer. He drank lemonade every morning, afternoon, and evening at the stand.

With each passing day, the boy's income skyrocketed because of this stranger's uncanny appetite for his lemonade.

Sam was overwhelmed, but nothing outdid his joy than when Jonathan approached him with a life-changing deal one day.

"What will you do with this lemonade stand and your "secret" recipe after the summer break?" Jonathan asked Sam.

"I'm not sure. I want to gift my mom a car on her birthday this August...I want more money, but I don't think I can continue this once school reopens."

After listening to the boy, the man suggested a striking deal.

"Why don't you sell your stand and recipe to me?"

"What? Are you serious?"

Jonathan nodded in approval. " For $6K!"

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"Alright then...$7K, and the deal is done! When should I meet you with the money?"

Sam was baffled by the stranger's sudden interest in his lemonade. He couldn't believe someone would blindly give him so much money for a simple lemonade stand and a recipe he learned on YouTube.

The boy decided not to buy Jonathan's words and let it slide. But a week later, he was treated with a jolting surprise when Jonathan met him with a small bag of cash in hand.

"You have only two weeks until your summer break ends. Here, I have the money, and let's seal our deal today!"

Sam was stunned. He had $7K in his hands without working hard under the scorching sun anymore!

That evening, Sam was excited. He called his dad and informed him about the jackpot he got from selling his lemonade stand and recipe.

"I have $7K plus $260 from my savings! My friend Jonathan said he would help me get a second-hand car."

Daniel was surprised by his son's efforts. That evening, Sarah couldn't believe her ears when Sam told her about his huge fortune.

"Mom, look! I earned $7K. We can now buy your dream car! I did it, mom...I did it!"

On Sarah's birthday in August, Sam blindfolded his mother to reveal his sweet surprise. He took her outside and unveiled the car worth $6.5K Jonathan helped him buy it from a second-hand dealer.

But little did he know that all this was a staged set-up...

"Oh, darling! This is so lovely! I love it, sweetheart," Sarah exclaimed in tears.

That evening, Daniel came home on holiday and surprised his family. He was proud of his son and realized the boy was a man of his word.

"I take back my words. You are not lazy, and you are now a responsible man!"

"Haha! I told you, didn't I? I will do anything to make mom happy!" Sam was proud of his achievement which proved his dad's opinion of him wrong.

Later that night, Daniel and Sarah were on their bed, talking about a little secret that Sam would never know for the rest of his life.

"Should we tell him that you did all this?"

"No, not at all. I have accomplished my mission. That boy is our family's future head, and he just proved he's capable," Daniel said with pride.

It turned out that Daniel had staged everything to see if Sam would be a good son who would look after his mother. Jonathan was his close friend who helped him materialize his plan by taking $7K from Sarah and giving it to Sam under the pretext of their deal.

Daniel had always worried about his family's fate if something happened to him during a war or mission. So he tested his son's sense of responsibility toward his family, mainly his mother, by indirectly challenging him to work hard and not give up easily.

"My son knows what hard work is. I feel bad for pulling his leg, but he'll understand my point one day. Let this secret stay between us!"

Ultimately, Sam had no idea about this. But he realized that hard work, determination, and desire are rewarding factors for a successful life!

What can we learn from this story?

• Every child's responsibility is to care for their parents, regardless of age. The boy readily agreed when Sam's dad told him to earn and look after his mother. Though it was too tedious for him, he worked hard to keep his mother happy and did not chase his desires.
• Hard work and determination are always rewarding. Sam had saved money to go on a vacation with his friends. But when he had to take care of his mother and run the household, he used that money to set up a lemonade stand and provide for his family. Ultimately, his efforts were rewarded when he could earn enough to afford a car for his mother on her birthday.

Click here to read about how a poor mother struggling to feed her kids got a life-changing fortune worth $200K from a stranger.

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