Sobbing Boy Begs Mother Not to Leave Him: “I Don’t Want Money, I Just Want My Mom!”

A heartbreaking video of a little boy surfaced on the internet where he begged his mother not to leave him while his grandmother tried to restrain him. Why did the woman want to leave her wailing child? What forced her not to stay despite watching her baby cry?

Whenever a woman watches her child cry, she feels her heart skip a beat. Listening to her baby's cries makes a mother feel distressed, let alone seeing tears trickle down her child's cheeks. It's a feeling only mothers can relate to.

However, one video on the internet showed a boy crying before his mother, begging her not to leave him, but the woman did not listen. She didn't hug her wailing baby or pick him up in her arms because something stopped her from doing so.

The Wailing Child Begs His Mother

The heartbreaking video clip is from August 15, 2022. It shows a little boy tugging at his mother's collar, begging her not to leave him, while his grandmother holds his arm tightly. The boy cries:

"Mom, please don't go!"

This wasn't the first time the boy's mother was leaving him. She often left him with his grandmother for his betterment, but the little boy was too young to understand that. All he wanted was to spend more time with his mother.

It Was a Norm

The boy's mother had to travel more than 390 miles from her son. She left him with his grandparents in Fuyang City, China, to travel to Shanghai, like millions of other children in China who lived without one or both of their parents.

No matter what made the mother leave her child behind, netizens weren't happy after watching the boy cry in the video.

According to government statistics, about 13 million children lived without their parents in 2020. Meanwhile, the unofficial statistics claimed that 70 million children lived without one or both parents. These children are called "left-behind children" whose parents leave to work in another city.

The Heartbreaking Conversation

The boy in the video begged his mother not to leave him with his grandparents, but she tried reasoning with him to calm him down. She said:

"I'm earning money for you."

What the boy said next was something that broke the viewers' hearts. The innocent child was too young to understand the value of money. Trying his best to convince his mother to stay, he said, "I don't want money. I just want my Mom."

The Mother's Feelings

Watching her son cry and beg her to stay broke the mother's heart into a million pieces. She said it wasn't easy for her and her husband to leave their child behind, but they didn't have a choice.

She added that she would return soon, and she had also taken her son to live with them in Shanghai some time ago, but they couldn't keep him there. She said it was difficult for parents to leave their children behind when part of them wanted to keep living with their babies.

The Major Reason

Later in the heartbreaking video, the boy calms down when his grandmother tells him his parents would earn money to buy him the toys he wants. That's when he allowed his mother to go away from him.

One reason why parents don't take their children with them while migrating to another city is because of China's household registration system.

With registering in this system, children can access good education, healthcare, and housing, and it's tough for parents to register their children outside of their birthplace. As a result, children have to stay back for a better lifestyle while their parents move to another city to earn money.

The Online Reaction

No matter what made the mother leave her child behind, netizens weren't happy after watching the boy cry in the video. Here's what they said:

"How not to cry when they know their mums are leaving them? They are so young and can't take care of themselves."

― (@Lew Peng Long) August 16, 2022

"It brought tears to my eyes. How lucky most of us are. God blesses all children and parents. Hope things go right in their lives and once again restart their family bonding."

― (@T Tamil Selvi) August 16, 2022

"Children are so innocent. They just say what is in their hearts. I think some thought can be given to how to arrange for the children to be able to live in some place near where the parents work. That way, it is a win-win, and the children grow up happier. Many large corporations in some countries actually built towns where the offices are. So whole families can be together."

― (@Bobby Yee) August 16, 2022

We hope things get better for families who have to leave their children back in their home cities for work. We pray for these children to reunite with their parents as soon as possible.

Click here to read another story about a 6-year-old girl dropped off from a bus on a busy highway. She cried until a stranger noticed her wandering on the streets.