Boy Takes Care of Girl Whose Military Dad Is Away, Once Finds Crowd of Soldiers outside His Home — Story of the Day

A young boy looks after a little girl whose dad works in the military and receives a heartwarming surprise for his kind deed.

Sean, 11, lived with his single mother, Linda, and was a highly responsible child for his age. His father died while fighting for the country when he was five years old; hence, he was forced to become a man of the house at a young age.

Sean admired his father and wished to be as brave as him. He respected his heroism and courage as a soldier, and he did everything he could to make him proud when he was still alive. But Sean's father was a strict man who never appreciated him. He longed to hear words of praise from him, but that day never came.

After his father's death, Sean was heartbroken. He would miss his father, and more importantly, he would never get the chance to make his father proud. But life gave him that chance in the most unexpected way...

One day, Sean was playing in his neighborhood when he saw a little girl sitting sadly on the curb. He immediately recognized her as she lived a couple of houses away from him. Watching her, Sean wondered why she seemed so sad. He decided to talk to her.

"Hi! I've seen you around here. What's wrong? You look upset," he said, taking a seat beside her. "I'm Sean, by the way."

"What's going on? Why are you all here? Oh no, is Gran Molly okay?"

"I'm Melanie," said the girl. "My mommy went to the angel, and I miss her. I'm just sad."

"So did my dad. I miss him too," said Sean. "Would you like to play with me?" he offered. "I don't have many friends."

"Can I?" she smiled, and Sean nodded.

That day marked the start of Sean and Melanie's friendship. They would play together in the evenings, bonding over their common experiences with losing a parent. Sometimes, Sean's friends teased him when they saw him with the 5-year-old, but Sean was unbothered.

One day, before going to school, Sean saw Melanie sitting outside her house crying. There was nobody around her, and Sean was worried, so he ran up to her.

"Melanie? What are you doing here alone?" he asked, worried.

"I miss my daddy!" she replied, sniffing. "He left me! I told him not to go! But he left me!"

"That's okay, Melanie. He'll be home soon. Listen, my dad was a soldier too, and their job is pretty cool. They work hard for our country. Aren't you proud of your dad?"

"But…There's no one home to take me to school. Granma Molly is sick. I just want daddy to be home."

"I can help you," Sean offered. "Just a minute…."

Sean dashed inside Melanie's house and asked Granma Molly for Melanie's school address. Using Google Maps for directions, he managed to drop Melanie off at school safely before heading to his.

"You don't need to worry about coming to school alone because I'll drop you off every day, alright?" he promised her.

From then on, Sean always brought Melanie to school, and her grandmother would only have to pick her up. One day, Sean got up late and was running late. He knew if he dropped Melanie off first, he wouldn't be able to make it to his classes on time, yet he chose to help her.

His teacher, Mr. Watson, was furious at him when he got to class. "The next time you're late, Sean, I'd like you to bring your mother!" he exclaimed.

Sean's classmates laughed behind his back since they knew he was late because he dropped Melanie off at school. Nevertheless, Sean continued to do so, while helping Granma Molly around the house and with Melanie's care.

Though he was just 11, Sean went out of the way to help Melanie with almost everything while her dad was away. He knew how bad it felt not to have your father around, so he never held back when it came to looking after little Melanie.

One day, Sean offered to pick up Melanie from school because Granma Molly wasn't feeling well. When Sean and Melanie arrived home from school, they found a large mob of troops in the doorway.

"What's going on? Why are you all here? Oh no, is Gran Molly okay?" Sean asked, worried. Soon after, Melanie's dad emerged from the crowd.

"Daddy!" Melanie screamed and ran to him. "I missed you so much, daddy! This is Sean! He is just like you, daddy! Did you know Sean helped Granma Molly while you were away?"

Melanie's dad, David, smiled. "Of course, I know how helpful Sean was! After mom told me how a young boy helped her around the house in my absence, I had to do this...This is for you, Sean!!" he said, and the soldiers saluted him in unison, followed by David, who thanked him for looking after his daughter.

"You're an incredible young man, Sean. I'm sure your father will be proud of you. Mom told me he was a soldier too. You made him proud today," he said.

At the mention of his father, Sean burst into tears.

"If you don't mind," he managed to say between tears. "Ca...Can I hug you? For some reason, I'm missing my dad a lot today."

"Of course, Sean. Come here…"

Sean hugged David tightly and cried his heart out. He had held everything in and pretended to be very strong since his dad passed away. But at the end of the day, he, too, was a child who craved love and praise and a dad's care.

"I never heard such stuff from my dad," he told David. "I never thought a soldier like him would be proud of me. But you are…thank you for that."

"I should thank you, Sean," replied David. "Trust me; you should be incredibly proud of yourself!"

That day, David visited Sean's home, and when he told Linda how proud he was of Sean, Linda's eyes welled up too. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, honey," she said, hugging Sean.

From then on, David treated Sean as nothing less than his son, and soon, the two families got close to each other. It wasn't long before Linda and David were in love, and they decided to start a new life together.

Sean and Melanie, of course, were very happy to have two parents and to be living under one roof. And Sean, just like his dad and stepdad, grew up to be a brave military man.

What can we learn from this story?

• There are many little heroes among us who need to be appreciated more. For an 11-year-old boy, Sean's actions were no less than that of a hero. He looked after Melanie, helped Granma Molly, and cared for his mom whenever possible.
• Praise your kids for the little good deeds they do every day. Sean always craved his dad's praise, but he never got any. When David finally showered him with praises, it made Sean very happy, realizing he was worthy.

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