Motivating children to work hard with determination helps them become responsible individuals. It was something Atlanta mom Annie Byrne believed in and taught her son, Simon.
“Who cares if my son and I live in a rusty old trailer now? One day, he will take me to a palace and make me its queen!” dreamed the poor widow who worked as a janitor and struggled to make ends meet.
One day, the mother’s prayers were unbelievably answered when her son handed her the keys to their $2M house. But she knew little about the price the boy paid to fulfill her dream…
“Mom, when are we going to start living in a nice house?” 13-year-old Simon asked his mother. “It’s getting colder here, and it’s stuffy inside.”
“…just give me that money, and you won’t regret it…I’m not asking for a penny more, just what you have,” begged the boy.
Annie had no quick reply to that question. She knew it was not going to happen anytime soon. She did not have much in savings, and her salary was barely enough to afford food and education for her son, who was on holiday.
“Very soon…We will move from here very soon, son,” she said in tears. “Now, close your eyes and go to sleep.”
But Annie couldn’t sleep peacefully. She was aware that “very soon” would never arrive. She spent the night near her son, her heart heavy, resigned that misery would cling to them forever.
The next morning, Simon’s friends called him out to play, but the boy refused because he could not be happy whenever he thought about his mom’s struggles. He went for a walk alone and was stunned, looking at one of the boys busy tossing money in a box behind his lemonade stand.
“Whoa! That’s unbelievable!” Simon exclaimed. He, too, wanted to put up a stall and start earning money, but he barely had a quarter in his pocket. Sighing in disappointment, he walked away, thinking about what else he could do to make things better in his life.
What can we learn from this story?
- Teach your children the values of determination and hard work at a very young age. Although poor and struggling, Annie always taught her son the concept of determination and hard work. The boy was only 13, but he absorbed the truth and implemented it into changing their lives for good.
- Don’t just sit and watch when your parents struggle. Do something to ease their burden. Simon was hurt living in poverty with his mother. Instead of complaining about it, he worked hard and started from scratch. Ultimately, he reaped the sweet fruits of his hard work when he helped his mom move from their tiny trailer to a deluxe house.
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