Single Dad Can't Soothe Crying Newborn Son until He Finds String in Baby’s Crib – Story of the Day

A single dad struggles to calm down his inconsolably wailing baby one night. When every trick he tries fails, he reaches out to the crib to rock him and finds a strange string there.

When it comes to communicating through crying, not all babies are that different. And that inconsolable ear-piercing wail? While it could mean all is well, it could also mean that it is NOT.

Paul had recently lost his wife, Emily, while giving birth to their first child. He was devastated. He was new to parenting, so that meant he had to wash his baby, feed him, frequently check for dirty diapers, and to top it all—soothe his loud cries, all on his own.

One day, Paul ran late for his meeting when he messed up his shirt while changing baby Rickie's dirty diaper.

"Good Lord, I'm going to hire a nanny," he said, frowning, and told his mother, Barbara, to schedule a meeting with a trustworthy nanny she knew...

"A nanny? Why would you want a nanny and burn a hole in your pocket when I'm here? I'll take care of Rickie. Don't worry," Barbara replied, turning down his suggestion.

Paul, although initially hesitant, agreed. He trusted his mother, and why wouldn't he? She had raised him so well despite being a single mother. Her experience with parenting convinced him she would do a great job tending to baby Rickie.

The first few days were flawless. Whenever Paul returned home in the evening, he would be relieved to see his baby curled up in Barbara's arms. It was so heartwarming.

"What is this thing? How did it get here?" Paul shrieked as he rolled up the baby's sweater.

But then, a week later, Rickie had a wild outburst of tears in the middle of the night, and Paul could not determine why.

"Aww, coochie coo, aww—coochie coo—" he kept saying, gently rocking Rickie in his arms. "Go to sleep, go to sleep...." he sang in a funny cartoonish voice. But the baby wouldn't calm down.

"Mawwww—Mawwww—Mawwww"

Paul tried distracting Rickie with soft toys and even took him on a ride in his toy car. But nothing worked.

"Hmmm, let me call Eva. She should be able to help me," he said, reaching out to a friend who was a child specialist.

"Maybe he has a dirty diaper. Did you check?"

"I did, and it's clean."

"Hmmm, is he whimpering?"

"No, he's shrieking at the top of his voice," said Paul.

"I don't think there is anything to be worried about. Babies cry a lot during this stage. Just stay close to him and rock his cradle, maybe?"

"Ah, alright, thanks!"

Paul followed the doctor's advice. He put Rickie in the cradle and rocked it, but the baby kept crying. Suddenly, he started to wriggle, kicking his legs, and Paul could not decipher why. Having lost all hope in comforting his baby, he reached out to his mom.

"Alright! I just got home, but never mind, I'll drive back," Barbara said.

Meanwhile, Paul kept rocking the cradle until he noticed something weird in the crib that extended all the way to Rickie’s sleeve. It was a long, red string, attached to the baby's wrist.

"What is this thing? How did it get here?" Paul shrieked as he rolled up the baby's sweater. "Oh my God! Mom, what did you do??!" he exclaimed.

As it turned out, the red string was tied around Ricke's wrist and got pulled too tight, causing his discomfort. Paul recalled his mom's superstitious beliefs. He was aware of the odd things she used to do at home but never imagined she would involve his baby in it.

Paul was so furious...

"There was heavy traffic on my way back. Hey, how is he doing?" Barbara panted.

"Mom, what have you done? I told you not to bring your superstitious practices here. Why did you tie a string around my son's wrist?"

Barbara turned pale. She ended up angering Paul even more after she revealed the reason.

"EVIL EYE!"

"Evil what?" he retorted.

"Son, I was just trying to protect baby Rickie from evil eyes. If you wind this thread around the wrist, it protects him from evil forces."

"Mom?! Enough! Are you out of your mind? That thing had been hurting my baby! Imagine what could've happened if I didn't see it! You are insane!—Please leave us alone!"

Paul's reaction offended Barbara. She stormed out of the house, groaning

The following day, Paul hired a nanny his friend suggested. Life was so peaceful after that and Paul was able to focus on work, assured that Ricke was under professional care. He would only check up on him through the baby monitor, but things were always fine.

A few days later, Barbara met with Paul and apologized...

"I'm sorry, son. I shouldn't have been so superstitious."

Paul's head had cooled off by then. He forgave his mother but warned her to drop her mythical ideas if she wanted to stay close to her grandson.

"Mom, Rickie's just a baby. He could have gotten hurt. You can't just blindly use your ideas and practices on him just because you feel what you're doing is right.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Barbara said.

The incident freaked Paul out, and he learned the importance of seeking only professional help when handling children. Although he trusted his mom around his son, he always made sure to double-check that she did not mess around with him again.

What can we learn from this story?

• Do not ignore your children. Be extra careful around them, especially when they try to communicate something. When Rickie wailed inconsolably, Paul immediately sought medical advice. He checked the crib and found a string wound around the baby's wrist that caused his incessant crying.
• Do not impose your decisions/beliefs on your children. Barbara tied a string around baby Rickie's hand without his father's consent. She believed it would ward off evil, but it brought the baby a lot of discomfort, forcing him to cry in pain.

When a mother struggles to calm down her crying baby, two young men come to her aid. The next day, she pays them a surprise visit in a police car. Click here to read the full story.

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.