Boy Stands up for His Paralyzed Mom – Story of the Day

Jake's parents, Rody and Gina, were in a car accident. Unfortunately, he died, and she had to use a wheelchair, so Jake's grandparents moved in to help. However, the teenager later caught them doing something infuriating, and he had to stand up for his mom.

When Rody married Gina, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ferris, were unhappy. They didn't like her much because she had a mind of her own and was not afraid to speak up. Rody's parents were much more conservative and followed old gender roles.

However, they seemed to calm down when Jake was born because they loved their grandchild sincerely. They bought him presents and finally treated Gina well. At least to their faces, which was more than enough for the rest of the family.

Sadly, Rody and Gina were in a car accident when Jake was 12, and unfortunately, the kid lost his father. His mother had a serious spinal injury that couldn't be fixed, so she was paralyzed from the waist down.

"That's no way to speak to your grandmother, young man!"

But Gina rallied as best she could. She had a sister, Emma, who helped in the beginning with her new situation, everything about Rody's funeral, took care of Jake, etc. However, she had to leave after two months with them.

Luckily, Gina had a routine down, and her arms had strengthened by then. She felt confident she could handle things with Jake, and soon, she might return to work remotely if her company allowed it. Things were on the upswing, although they were still grieving and reeling from this turn of events.

Therefore, Gina was surprised when Mr. and Mrs. Ferris arrived with all their bags packed at her front door.

"You can't possibly handle everything on your own," Mrs. Ferris said, coming inside and ordering her husband to take their things to the guest room. "We're sorry we didn't think of helping sooner. It was all just a shock. I miss my Rody so much. But in times of need, family needs to rally together, right?"

Gina faked a smile and nodded. She was not expecting this, mainly because her parents-in-law had indeed disappeared after Rody's funeral. But Jake would be happy to see them and have them for a while.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ferris," she said, closing the front door and rolling closer to the woman.

"Call me Janice, dear," the older woman added. "Now, I'll make us some dinner. You relax. When is Jake coming home?"

"He had basketball. I arranged a carpool with another mom. You truly didn't need to do this. We have a routine down," Gina said, watching her mother-in-law rummage and rearrange her kitchen, which they had arranged for Gina's comfort.

"Nonsense. You can't possibly handle raising a teenager on your own. We're here to help," Janice insisted and continued to mess around the kitchen. There was nothing Gina could do now.

She rolled around and saw her father-in-law plop down on the couch and turn the television to some sports games. She rolled her eyes. "Well, at least they'll help, and they're family," she thought and went to her room.

Things were alright for a few days, but Janice started berating Gina more. Some comments were disguised as back-handed compliments, while others were downright insulting.

"At least Jake is handling everything maturely. He's 13 now, and he's just like my Rody. He takes after our side of the family."

"You can't cook at all. Well, you never did, even before the accident."

"This house is a mess. I guess I have to clean up in here from now on."

The comments were grating on Gina's nerves, but Jake seemed happier to have them around. Until one particular day when Janice didn't even measure her words. She and Gina argued about how to place the plates in the dishwasher, but it evolved into a screaming match. Her father-in-law, Rody Sr., was too focused on the television to care, as always.

The women's screams reached upstairs, so Jake exited his room and went down to check what the commotion was all about. However, as he stepped foot on the first floor, he heard something he never expected from his grandmother.

"I knew my son shouldn't have married you! If you hadn't enticed him, he would still be alive! You're not fit to be a mother! You never were! I have to do everything around here!" Janice yelled hatefully, and Jake didn't need to hear anything else.

"Grandma! That's enough! You can't speak to my mother like that!" Jake interrupted them with a severe expression.

"Sweetie, go back to your room," Gina said gently.

"This is an adult conversation!" Janice shouted simultaneously.

Finally, Mr. Ferris spoke up as well. "That's no way to speak to your grandmother, young man!"

Jake frowned at his grandfather. "I think it's time for you and Grandma to leave. You've been here for months, and Grandpa, you don't help anyone. Grandma, you think you help, but you don't. And my father wouldn't stand to see you two criticizing my mother, but he isn't here to speak up. So, as the REAL man of the house, here's what I have to say: You have to leave," the 13-year-old announced, looking at his grandparents expectantly.

Janice's mouth was opening and closing, but no sound came out. His grandfather's face had reddened entirely. But Gina… she was smiling brightly.

Both grandparents stormed to the guest room, and Jake and Gina thought they would be packing to leave in a huff. But an hour later, they came out with their proverbial tails between their legs.

The truth is that they hadn't moved in to help. They were caught up in too much debt and had to sell their house to pay them all back. They had nowhere to go.

"I'm… sorry… for what I said earlier," Janice said, stopping to swallow thickly. Gina knew that apology was extremely hard for her.

Mr. Ferris echoed the sentiment. "Would you allow us to stay here some more until we can bounce back?" he asked, looking at Jake.

Gina had never seen them like this, and Jake was shocked too. "What do you think, honey?" she asked the teenager. He had stood up for his mother, so she decided to leave this decision up to him.

"Fine, you can stay, but no more fighting or mistreating my mother. No more attitude, and Grandpa, you can't stay all day in front of the T.V.," the teenager said and went to his room.

Things were awkward for a few days afterward, but the grandparents surprisingly pulled through. Janice apologized to Gina privately as well. Rody Sr. started doing chores around the house, like taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, and repairing things.

Their home was peaceful again, and they left two months later. But this time, Jake actually missed them. They were invited back for dinner once a week, and neither of them ever spoke to Gina rudely again.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Mr. and Mrs. Ferris were rude to Gina despite needing a home to stay at her house.
• Kids can also stand up for their parents. Gina was treated horribly, and Jake was right to stand up for her, even if he insulted her and talked back to his grandparents.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who spotted his mother working for a disabled man for a shocking reason.

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