‘I Want You to Leave Me Alone!’ Teen Boy Yells at Family, Finds No One at Home on Christmas – Story of the Day

One day, a teenage boy wakes up and realizes his family is not home. At first, he feels happy because he wants to live independently, but what happens in the next few hours makes him realize he is helpless without his parents.

"Allen, sweetheart, why don't you play with your brothers?" Allen's mother asked.

Like most boys his age, Allen didn't like spending time with his brothers and parents. It was Christmas Eve when his younger brothers were playing their favorite video game in the living room and wanted Allen to join them.

"Mom, he never plays with us!" one of Allen's brothers complained.

Allen looked at his brother and rolled his eyes, pretending he didn't hear his mother's words. He didn't want to play with his brothers and felt annoyed watching his mother support them.

"Okay, Allen," his mother said. "Why don't you help me pack these Christmas presents for tomorrow's party?"

"Yeah, we could really use your help right now," Allen's father added.

"I'm fine here," Allen replied. "I don't want to do anything."

Allen's mother frowned after hearing his response. "Why, honey?" she asked worriedly. "Is something wrong? It seems like something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Mom? Dad?" he shouted, but no one replied.

The last thing Allen wanted was to answer his mother's questions. Like other teenagers, Allen's behavior changed after he hit puberty. He had become rebellious and didn't want to be around his brothers or parents. He only enjoyed his friends' company and thought his family didn't allow him to live independently.

"Nothing, Mom," Allen replied while scrolling aimlessly on his phone.

While he was still looking at his phone sitting on the couch, he felt someone's hands on his shoulders. When he looked around, he saw his mother standing behind him.

"My baby!" she said while running his fingers through his hair. "I know you are hiding something from us, but I won't force you to tell us what it is."

"Mom, please!" Allen replied rudely.

"What happened, honey? I'm just―"

"I'm tired of you guys!"

"Honey, listen..."

"I want you to leave me alone!" Allen yelled. "I'm so tired of you guys poking your nose into my business. I want to live alone!"

No one in the room thought Allen would suddenly throw a fit. His brothers and parents stared at him silently while he stomped to his room upstairs.

He entered his room and locked his door. "I'm so tired of this!" he said before he jumped into his bed and closed his eyes to sleep.

The following day, Allen woke up and came downstairs to ask his mother for breakfast. To his surprise, neither his brothers nor his parents were at home. "Mom? Dad?" he shouted, but no one replied.

I thought they wanted to take me to the party too. Why did they leave me alone? He wondered. Then, he opened the fridge and took out the leftovers from dinner. I'm glad they left me alone, he thought before tossing his plate into the microwave oven.

Allen played video games and watched his favorite cartoons for the next few hours. He was happy that he finally had the house to himself, but soon, Allen realized he needed his parents' help.

I think I should call them and ask where they are, Allen thought and picked up his phone. First, he dialed his mother, but her phone was switched off. That's strange, he thought and called his father.

To his surprise, he couldn't contact his father because his number was unreachable.

"What am I going to eat for dinner now?" Allen said. "I don't know how to cook anything."

Allen had always relied on his mother for meals. Since she always cooked food for the family, Allen had never even fried an egg for himself. At that point, he wished his mother was at home.

Since he couldn't reach his parents over the phone, he tried to satisfy his hunger by eating an apple. Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring. "Oh, finally! Mom and Dad are back!" he rejoiced and rushed to open the door.

When Allen opened the door, he saw one of his neighbors standing on the doorstep. "Hi, Mr. Andrew!" Allen smiled at him.

"Hi, Allen! Could you please ask your Dad to move his van? It's blocking my driveway," Andrew said politely while looking over Allen's shoulder.

"Dad's van? He's not at home."

"Okay, then tell your mother about it."

"Well, Mom's not at home either."

"They are not at home? Oh, God!"

At that point, Allen felt helpless because he didn't know how to drive. He could have moved his father's van from Andrew's driveway if he was old enough to drive.

"I think I'll have to call the police to remove your father's van," Andrew grumbled and left.

Allen couldn't help but feel guilty because he couldn't do anything to help his neighbors. He realized living alone wasn't as easy as he thought it would be, and there were so many things that he couldn't do without taking help from his parents.

"Come on, honey. Stop crying," Allen's mother kissed his cheek.

He watched the tow truck remove his father's van from Andrew's driveway and wished his parents were home that day. Later that night, Allen couldn't stop wondering how he depended on his parents for so many things. He realized he was incomplete without them and wished they would return home soon.

The following morning, Allen woke up and heard his brothers talking in the hallway. "Oh my God! They are back!" he exclaimed and rushed out of his room. When he went downstairs, he immediately hugged his parents.

"I'm sorry for everything I said to you that day," Allen apologized. "I shouldn't talk to you both so rudely."

Allen's mother smiled and hugged him while his father patted his back.

"I spent the entire day alone yesterday and realized I am nothing without my family," Allen cried.

"Come on, honey. Stop crying," Allen's mother kissed his cheek.

"We went away yesterday to teach you a lesson, Allen," his father said. "We wanted to show you that living alone is not easy, especially as a teenager."

"I know, Dad," Allen said. "You guys do so much for me. I took everything for granted."

That day, Allen realized that he couldn't survive without his brothers and parents. After spending a day alone, Allen never misbehaved with his parents or told his brothers to leave him alone. He realized the importance of family and never wished to live without them.

What can we learn from this story?

• Be careful what you wish for. When Allen wished his family would go away, he had no idea that his wish would come true so soon and that he would regret living alone. Staying at home alone was nothing short of a nightmare for him.
• Never take your family for granted. Your family is the one who sticks with you in tough times. Allen never appreciated his family's presence and took them for granted, but he realized their importance after living alone for a day.

Share this story with your friends and family. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

A boy exposed his stepdad, who fooled the whole family to get his grandmother's inheritance. Click here to read the entire 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.