‘Hooked up Too Early’ Colleagues Mock Single Mom of Boy, Learn She’s Not Really His Mother – Story of the Day

A single young woman raising a boy alone receives awful remarks from her coworkers for her poor parenting until they realize she is not the child's mother.

Humming to Harry Styles' latest release, Kate packed two monster-shaped sandwiches and a pack of crackers while she went over Mike's homework.

Once everything was ready, and the school bag was packed, she went upstairs to get her little boy down for breakfast.

"Eat quickly, darling," she said sweetly, as she handed him a sandwich and a glass of milk. "Mumma needs to get to a meeting."

That's what 22-year-old Kate's typical morning looked like. From the moment she woke up, the young woman was always on her feet, handling the house chores, then making preps for Mike's school, and finally heading to work.

On most days, Kate barely had any strength to get out of bed, but the young mom would push herself for her six-year-old boy's sake.

***

Kate kissed Mike on the cheek and waved goodbye as she dropped him off at school that day. "Be a good boy!" she told him. Then she walked to the bus stop.

Kate didn't make a lot of money and couldn't afford a car, so she rode the bus to work. Fortunately, at least Mike's school was within walking distance.

As Kate boarded the bus and checked her phone, she panicked. There were tons of angry messages from her manager about the presentation she'd been asked to make for the meeting.

Kate had completely forgotten to finish it in a hurry to make preparations for Mike's school. She looked at her wristwatch and frowned. She was already late for the meeting she wasn't prepared for in the first place.

Worried, she pulled out her laptop from her backpack and began working on the report while on the bus. But the day just wasn't in Kate's favor.

She got stuck in traffic and arrived at the office only when the meeting was over.

"Mr. Litster has asked to see you in the conference room," his secretary said as she sat down at her desk.

Kate was expecting a formal warning as she entered the conference hall, but she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked Mr. Litster, the manager.

"Oh, yes, yes, I did," he said seriously. "Come on in, Ms. Farrell. You've arrived just in time."

Kate looked around the room and was confused. All her colleagues were gathered there, even though the meeting was over long ago.

Every person has a story. Don't judge them without knowing their side of the story.

"You must be aware of the meeting you did not attend today, and we wanted to find out why. Your colleagues and I are curious to know what you were so preoccupied with that you missed something this important! We're used to your late arrivals, but missing meetings is new, right?"

"The thing is, I was stuck—"

"Oh God, was it traffic this time?" the manager asked sarcastically, and the other employees laughed at Kate.

"Come on, guys. Don't laugh. Anyone can get stuck in traffic," he added in a no-nonsense tone. "So, Ms. Farrell, tell us the truth. Was it your son's schoolwork that caused you to be late for the meeting? Our clients didn't appreciate waiting for the presentation, and I'm sure Mr. Carter would like to speak with you later today. Good luck!" he said as he stood up and walked out.

Kate was deeply embarrassed. She had just been reprimanded in front of her colleagues and subordinates. But that's not where it all ended.

"Her son?" a male colleague said. "She looks too young to be a mother! Hooked up too early, I guess," he said with a chuckle, and Kate's eyes welled up.

"I've met her son once, and that brat doesn't even talk to anyone! That's what happens when you get pregnant young!" a woman mocked her. "Parenting is not everyone's cup of tea!"

"Good luck, mama!" laughed someone as everyone exited the room. "Have a terrible day for putting us through hell in front of the clients."

Kate burst into tears as she was left alone in the room. She was trying her best. She really was. Her coworkers had no idea how difficult it had been for her when she lost her parents at a young age and had to care for herself on her own or how tired she was trying to manage everything.

"People just know how to comment!" she sobbed. "I can get another job! I don't want to work with people who can't respect me or my situation!"

***

Kate stood outside the director's office with her resignation letter.

"Are you sure about this, Kate?" Mr. Carter asked her as he accepted the letter. He was a kind man who knew she was a single mother to a young boy.

"Yes, Mr. Carter. I'm positive about this. Thanks for having me here," she said.

"Alright then, Kate. I'll accept this, but do you mind if I ask where Mike's father is? See, child, I've fathered two girls, raised them, and seen them get married. It's not easy to be a parent. And when you're young, it's definitely not easy."

"Mike is not my biological child, sir," she said in tears.

"I—I adopted him after a wait of six long years. I had found him as a baby in a dumpster. His parents had left him to die, but I couldn't. When I'm not home, my neighbors look after him. Sadly, things are a bit harder for us. My little boy... he can't hear. He is deaf, and I needed money for his surgery, which is why I was keen on keeping the job, but after what my colleagues said about Mike and me, I don't think I can. I'm sorry..."

With that, Kate left the office and returned home. She knew the days ahead would be challenging because she had no savings, and looking for a new job would be nerve-wracking. But what the single mother didn't know was that her life would turn around soon.

As Kate collected her things from her work desk and left, Mr. Carter summoned all her colleagues for an urgent meeting.

Two weeks later, on a Sunday morning, when she was having breakfast while scrolling through her job applications, she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door to find her ex-colleagues, ex-manager, and Mr. Carter on her doorstep.

"Mr. Carter, what—what is everyone doing here?" she asked, puzzled, as the director smiled and extended an envelope to her.

"Go ahead, open it," he said.

Kate's jaws dropped to the floor as she tore open the flap. "That is A LOT of money! Why are you giving this to me?" she asked, surprised.

"Because you've earned it, Kate. We had no idea you had such a big heart. We didn't know you adopted Mike," said the man who had been very rude to her a few weeks before.

"And here," he added, giving her a set of keys. "These are my late uncle's car keys. I hope this'll make your life a little easier. We felt terrible when we learned about Mike's condition and how you've been struggling with his care. Sorry, we had no idea before. We hope you forgive us."

"I appreciate the apologies, but this still feels wrong... all this money and this car..."

"Keep it with gratitude, dear," Mr. Carter assured Kate. "We all pitched in what we could, and we hope this helps with Mike's surgery. Also, please come back to work. I never accepted the resignation!"

The kind boss had one more request. "Can we meet him? I'd like to say hi to the little rockstar!"

Kate was in tears. "Thank you for being so considerate. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Please come on in."

Kate brought everyone inside and served them tea and cookies while they all had fun interacting with Mike. Kate taught them how to say, "you're a rockstar" in sign language, and Mike reciprocated thanks in signs too.

Kate had mastered sign language for her little boy, even though it had taken her quite some time to learn it.

As everyone was leaving, Mike and Kate waved them goodbye, and Mike had a sweet message for them all.

"Thank you for being so kind to my mother. You're all wonderful people," he said in signs, and Kate was smiling through tears.

What can we learn from this story?

• Every person has a story. Don't judge a person without knowing their side of the story. Kate's coworkers treated her poorly and made disparaging remarks without knowing her story, only to realize how wrong they were.
• A loving heart is what makes you a parent, not biology. Kate adopted little Mike and gave him the best life because she had the heart to become a good mother. It didn't matter to her that she wasn't biologically related to him.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a set of mean children who mocked a boy for the Halloween costume until the school principal decided to show off his artistic skills.

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.