Son Is Ashamed of Plus-Sized Mom in Front of Friends until Ambulance Takes Her Away from Gym — Story of the Day

Rosie is heartbroken to find out that her son James is ashamed of her for being fat. One day, she is taken away by an ambulance from the gym, shocking the boy into guilt. Would this change the way he saw his mother?

Rosie had always wanted a child, but because she struggled with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, she was unable to conceive naturally. By the time she turned 40, she and her husband Dave decided to try having a child through In Vitro Fertilization.

"This is our last hope to have a child," she cried. "I pray it finally works. I want to be a mother," she said as the doctor explained to them what they needed to do.

After a couple of weeks, Rosie and Dave found out that they were expecting. They were overjoyed and made sure that their home was conducive to a healthy pregnancy.

"Anything you need, just let me know," Dave assured his wife. "Don't bother working anymore. I've got our family covered," he said, asking Rosie to quit her job so she could remain stress-free throughout her pregnancy.

Nine months passed, and Rosie did everything she could to stay healthy. She took her prenatal vitamins, did cardio exercises, and removed herself from stressful environments.

Upon the birth of their son James, she and Dave had everything they ever wanted. Their son was now their whole world, and nothing else mattered to them more than to be with him and to give him the best life possible.

When James turned 10, the entire family had to relocate to another state because of Dave's job promotion. From a small town, they were thrust into a big, modern city, and he attended a bigger school with a more well-off crowd.

One day, Rosie noticed a big change in James. When she told him to get inside the car so she could take him to school, he refused. "I'll just take the school bus," he said, rushing out the door before Rosie could say anything else.

At first, she didn't think it had much to do with her. She assumed that James enjoyed being with his friends, and they all rode the school bus together. It was only when they were at the grocery store one day that she realized she was his problem.

While they were picking out some groceries, James suddenly spotted his friends. He quickly ran away from his mom before they could spot her. "Hey!" he greeted them.

"Oh hey, James! I didn't know you were free today, we would have invited you to hang out," his friend Simon told him. "Who are you with?" he asked.

"I'm with mom," James sighed. "She said I needed to accompany her to the grocery so someone could help her with the bags," he complained.

"Well, don't buy too much food, or else you might end up fat! It's in your genes," one of his friends teased.

James could feel his face turning red. "Mom, you're so embarrassing! Everyone thinks I'm the kid of some fat loser," he thought to himself.

"Ha, of course not," James tried to downplay the situation. "Anyway, I'll get going before she starts yelling for me from some aisle," he said, rushing to say goodbye before his friends could see his mom.

"Where did you go?" his mom asked.

"I saw my friends. I just said hi," James replied casually.

"Oh! I would have loved to meet them!" Rosie told him. "Next time, introduce me, okay?"

James sighed. "No way, mom! I wanna go home. Can we go home already?" he said, walking towards the counter so they could pay.

Rosie wondered if she had said anything to insult her son. She followed after him and paid for their groceries before heading home.

A couple of weeks later, Rosie received a call from one of the parents at James's school. "How are you, Rosie? Are you feeling better?" the mom asked.

Confused, Rosie asked the mom what was going on. She had been feeling fine and was not sick at all.

"It's just that there was a Mother's Day event at school, but you weren't there. James said you weren't feeling well! Did you not receive the card that James made for you? They were asked to draw their moms," the woman on the line revealed.

Rosie could feel her chest tightening. "Why wouldn't he invite me to their Mother's Day event?" she thought to herself.

"If only you knew, James," she cried. "I only got fat after giving birth to you... because the treatment messed up my hormones."

After ending the call, Rosie went up to James' room to see if the Mother's Day card he made was there. Surely enough, she found it underneath his books, but instead of drawing her, he drew himself and wrote the words 'Happy Mother's Day from James.'

When James got home from school that day, she decided to talk to him. "James, I got a call from another mom that you didn't invite me to your school's Mother's Day event. What's the matter? Are you upset with mom about something, baby?" she asked him.

James paused hesitantly before deciding to tell her the truth. "My classmates refer to me as the 'new boy with a fat mom,'" he revealed. "I don't want to be teased because of your weight. Please, mom, go to the gym. Or I'll forever be known as the 'kid with a fat mom.'"

Rosie did not expect to hear what James had just said. She quietly got up from her chair and locked herself in her room, sobbing. "If only you knew, James," she cried. "I only got fat after giving birth to you... because the treatment messed up my hormones."

The following morning, Rosie decided she would go on a diet. During the day, she worked on her small business, and in the evening, after putting James to bed, she would go to the 24-hour gym in their neighborhood.

Rosie barely ate, yet she would try to lose at least 350 calories every gym visit. At one point, her body couldn't take it, and she fainted.

During that time, James was on the way back home from a school field trip to another state. He watched as his classmates embraced their parents, and wondered where his parents were.

"James, sweetheart," one of the moms said. "Your dad asked me to pick you up and take you to the hospital," she said.

"Hospital? Why? Who's at the hospital?" he asked.

"Your mom. She was taken away by an ambulance from the gym, and your dad is there with her," the woman explained. "Come on, I'll take you to them."

James cried the entire car ride. He felt really guilty for pushing his mom to the brink of exhaustion and now she was at the hospital.

As soon as he saw her with an IV line attached to her hand, he started to sob. "I'm sorry, mom," he cried. "What happened?"

"I wanted to be the most beautiful mom in the world for you, son," her mom said weakly. "I don't want you to be ashamed of me anymore," she cried.

James shook his head. "I'm sorry, mom," he sobbed. "I don't want you to be sick. Please forgive me for even listening to my classmates. The most beautiful mother is a healthy mother. Please, be healthy and get well. I don't want to lose you," he told her.

After a couple of days, Rosie was discharged from the hospital. Since then, James was no longer ashamed of her. He would proudly ride his mom's car on the way to school, and he would introduce his mom to any classmate they would see in town.

Every time the children were asked to draw portraits of their parents, James would draw Rosie and show his artwork to his peers. He was no longer ashamed, and his classmates learned not to tease him for it, but rather, admire him for how much he loved his mom.

What can we learn from this story?

• Your parents have gone through more than you would ever know. Cherish them. James simply thought his mom was fat because she was lazy, not knowing that the reason why she gained weight was because of the side effects of giving birth to him.
• People who insult your loved ones are not true friends. James cared too much about what other kids thought of him, to the point of disrespecting his mom. In the end, he realized that true friends would not insult his parents for any reason and that he was simply mingling with the wrong crowd.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a group of young gym goers who mock an old man who came to work out, only to ask him to train them the following day.

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.