I Missed 23 Calls from My Teen Son, Minutes Later Got a Call from Police — My Story

Estelle knew she wasn't a great mother, but she was trying. Things had been tough for her after her husband died, leaving her to care for their son alone. One day, she ended up missing 23 calls from her son. Her heart sank when she got a call from a cop minutes after she couldn't reach him.

It's always painful for me to think about. It's not like I did anything on purpose. But it's true that I wasn't there for my son whenever he needed me.

Hello, my name is Estelle, and I'm a police officer, a widow, and the mother of a 14-year-old boy. You can call me the world's worst mother and despise me for what I did. But please refrain from doing so until you've heard my side of the story.

I wasn't entirely to blame for what happened that fateful day. After my husband died, things got tough. He was a cop, too, and our family's breadwinner. I had never worked before, and transitioning to a working woman's life while grieving my husband's death was hard for me.

In fact, I wasn't even over his loss when I threw myself into work to support our son, Clayton. I would never hurt him intentionally, and I would never ever dismiss him. But it's true that I deliberately ignored him that day...

"This is Officer Suarez, reporting an accident in the downtown area. Officer Bruns, my partner, is with me. Please send backup..."

I was heading to a crime scene with my partner. It was a serious case, and we didn't have time to lose. A child was in danger, and we had to be quick to save her life.

I heard my phone vibrating as we reached the location, and I checked it. "Clayton," read the caller ID. I put my phone aside and rushed to another child in need.

While I was working to provide for him, I forgot that I had to be there for my son when he needed me.

"Busy. I'll call you later!" I had typed before getting out of the car. But unfortunately, the message wasn't sent. I hadn't pressed the send button, apparently.

When Officer Bruns and I returned to our car, we rushed back to the station. The operation was successful, and I managed to save the little girl in danger. Not even once did it cross my mind that I should check my phone.

When I finally did, I was shocked. There were 23 missed calls from Clayton. My heart shuddered, and I called him back. He didn't answer, so I called him again. And again, and again.

Where's this boy? Why isn't he picking up?

Suddenly, his phone was off.

I panicked. I didn't know what to do. It was the first time I painfully regretted not being there for Clayton.

I asked one of my fellow officers to track his cell phone location. I was very worried about him. But before we could figure out where his phone was last active, an unknown number flashed across my phone screen.

"Hi, this is Officer Fuentes. Am I talking to Clayton's mother?" the voice on the other end of the line asked.

A cop? Why is he calling me? Is Clayton ok? was the first thing that crossed my mind.

"Ye—Yes, I am. What's the matter? Is he ok?"

"Well, ma'am, I'd advise you to come to the station on 6th Avenue as soon as possible. Your son is here with us—"

"I'm on my way, you hear me? I AM COMING RIGHT NOW!" I said, panicked. "I'll be there!"

I felt like I'd faint, but I had to be strong. I didn't want anything but to see Clayton, hug him, and tell him that I was there and he didn't have to worry.

I had never panicked like that. What was happening?

As I was driving to the station, all those times I hadn't been there for Clayton flashed in front of my eyes. He was a child, after all. He had always needed me, and I hadn't been there for him.

What an awful mother you are, Estelle! I cursed myself.

When Clayton asked me to spend time with him on Friday nights, I wasn't there for him. When he asked me if we could go out on the weekend, I wasn't there for him either.

"Hey mom, maybe, you know, we could watch a movie this week…" he had suggested last Sunday, and you know what I did?

"Sorry, hun. Maybe next time? Something urgent came up, and I have to leave…"

I wasn't there for him when he needed me. He called me after school every day to tell me about his day, but I was always busy and told him I'd talk to him later.

I frequently returned home late, and he was already asleep, so we never really got to talk about things or spend time together. He would sometimes be upset, but I did all that work for him. To provide for him!

I remember him wanting me to be there for a school play where he was one of the main actors, but I couldn't because I had an emergency at work. For me, it was always 'work' first, Clayton second, and I didn't realize any of it until that call from the cop.

When I reached the police station, I rushed inside, screaming Clayton's name. It was then that I saw him… he was alright! He was sitting with a cop and talking to him.

"Clayton! Jesus! Are you alright, hun?" I rushed up to him and hugged him.

"Hey, mom, I'm fine!" he said. "Everyone's looking at us! Can you please stop hugging me?"

"Clayton, what happened? What… what are you doing here?"

I was a bad mother, I believe.

"You should be proud of your son, ma'am," the officer interrupted me. "Hi, I'm Officer Fuentes, and I was the one who called you. Sorry for, um, freaking you out, but your son is safe. You should have allowed me to finish to avoid all that trouble you went through. Sorry."

I had no idea what was going on until Officer Fuentes explained why Clayton was at the police station.

It turned out Clayton had seen our neighbor's daughter with an unknown man in a playground. He saw that the little girl was uncomfortable with the man and called me for help.

"You're a cop, Mom, so I figured you could help," Clayton explained. "I was gonna step in, but he took that girl with him, Mom, and I was on my bike. I was so scared, honestly, and I called the police, but I kept calling you too because I was panicking… I'm here just as a witness… Sorry, my phone died before I could answer your calls... It was on silent."

"I'm so proud of you, Clayton!" I said. "And I'm sorry I wasn't there! But the girl… is she fine? Is she ok, officer?" I asked Officer Fuentes.

"She's perfectly fine!" he said. "Thankfully, we were able to track them down before anything went wrong. He's the girl's estranged father, it seems. Divorced couple. He wasn't allowed to visit his daughter, and he tried taking her with him. Your son was really brave, ma'am. He recorded the statement, and he can leave."

The cop was right. I was very proud of my son. But you know what? I wasn't a good mother. I took Clayton for granted. I thought he'd be able to look after himself and manage things like he always did.

What if the call wasn't for someone else in need but for Clayton himself? Would I ever be able to forgive myself? No, I wouldn't! Though I had typed the message that day and told him I was busy, I wasn't there for him. While I was working to provide for him, I forgot that I had to be there for my son when he needed me.

I was a bad mother, I believe.

Do you agree? I really shouldn't have taken my son for granted, right? As a single mother, I shouldn't have forgotten that being a mother isn't only about providing, right? God forbid, what would I do if something terrible happened to him?

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