Mom Returns from Business Trip and Learns 5-Year-Old Son Spent the Night in a Locked Basement – Story of the Day

Sylvia was set to go on a business trip, and it would be the first time she would be leaving her son, Richard, with his stepfather, Jeffrey. She was worried, but Jeffrey assured her everything would be alright. To her surprise, she returned to discover her son locked in the basement for the most shocking reason.

"Ok, are you sure you'll be alright with Richard?" Sylvia asked her husband, Jeffrey, for the millionth time. She was going on an overnight business trip to New York, and Jeffrey would be supervising Richard all on his own for the first time in their home in New Jersey.

"Of course, sweetie. Richard and I will have so much fun!" he stated, smiling widely.

Sylvia shook her head. She didn't doubt that they were going to have fun. That's what worried her because Jeffrey was more like a kid himself.

Jeffrey loved her son, but he was a bit too childish at times. | Source: Pexels

She and Jeffrey got married a year ago, and Richard was her six-year-old son from a previous relationship. His father split the moment he was born, and it took her a while to trust any man again. But Jeffrey was fantastic, although a little too childish himself.

He and Richard had tons of fun. They played video games and basketball in the yard and loved superhero movies. But someone needed to be an adult when there were kids around, and Sylvia was worried that Jeffrey wouldn't be that now that he would be alone with her son.

"Ok, I'm trusting you with this, honey," she told her husband, who kissed her cheek sweetly as he helped put her bags in her car. Richard came out to say goodbye to his mother too.

She drove off, hoping everything would be alright. | Source: Pexels

"You don't have to worry about anything. Right, buddy?" Jeffrey asked Richard, patting him on the back.

The little boy nodded vehemently and waved goodbye to his mom, who smiled and got into the car, hoping this weekend would solidify their bond. She also wished her husband understood how hard it was to be a parent instead of taking things so lightly all the time.

***

Jeffrey and Richard had the best time in the world. They played with Richard's car sets, enjoyed some games on the Xbox, and ate all the junk food Sylvia would never allow them to have. "This has to be our little secret, okay?" Jeffrey whispered to Richard, who grinned conspiratorially.

They played video games and did everything Sylvia wouldn't allow them to do. | Source: Pexels

After all their games, they decided to watch a movie, and Jeffrey put on his favorite, Ghostbusters, but he fell asleep quickly after the sugar-high wore off. He woke up in the middle of the night, turned off the television, and went to his bedroom to sleep.

***

"Hello! I'm back!" Sylvia called out when she returned home. She drove home early to make her boys breakfast and find out what they had been doing all night. The house was a disaster with toys lying everywhere, and she even saw candy and snack wrappers all over the place. But she expected that.

Jeffrey came out to the living room, rubbing his eyes and hair. Clearly, he had just woken up. "Hey, dear. You're here early," he yawned, kissing her cheek.

Sylvia returned the kiss and put down her purse on the couch. "I know, but I really don't like being away from home. I hope I don't get any more business trips ever," she responded and went to the kitchen. "I'm going to get breakfast started. I imagine Richard didn't shower last night. Can you get him up and ready?"

Sylvia ran when Jeffrey shouted her son's name. | Source: Pexels

"Of course," Jeffrey yawned again and went to the boy's bedroom to wake him up. But suddenly, he yelled, "RICHARD!"

Sylvia dropped everything in the kitchen and ran to her son's bedroom. "What's going on?" she exclaimed. Richard was not in his bed. Jeffrey started moving around the house, checking closets, checking the guest bedroom, but Richard was nowhere to be found.

"WHERE'S MY KID, JEFFREY?" she demanded, getting angrier by the second.

"I… I don't know, Sylvia. I fell asleep last night watching a movie, and when I woke up he wasn't there. I had assumed he went to sleep, so I went to my room," Jeffrey explained, still looking all over the house.

Sylvia ran to her purse, grabbing desperately for her phone. "SEE? AN ADULT WOULD'VE CHECKED! HE'S A KID! HE NEEDS AN ADULT AROUND! I'M CALLING THE POLICE!"

Suddenly, a sound came from somewhere in their house. "Mom!"

The basement door would not open, and Jeffrey had to kick it in. | Source: Pexels

"That's Richard!" Sylvia shouted at Jeffrey, and they rushed toward the sound coming from the basement. The door was jammed, and they could hear Richard shouting.

"Step away from the door, Richie! I'm going to kick it open!" Jeffrey yelled as they couldn't think of another way to open it. Luckily, one forceful kick worked, and Richard ran out into Sylvia's arms.

"Oh, my dear!" she exhaled. "What happened? Why were you in the basement?"

"I wanted to bust some ghosts!" he responded. His voice was muffled because he refused to let go of his mom.

"What?"

"We watched Ghostbusters last night," her husband explained.

"I figured all the ghosts were in the basement. But I got tired, and then the door wouldn't open! I yelled, but no one came," Richard continued, lifting his head and looking at his mother with a few tears in his eyes.

Jeffrey changed for the better, becoming a better stepfather to Richard. | Source: Pexels

"It's ok! Everything is ok now, sweetie," Sylvia comforted. "Let's get you in the bath and forget all about this."

While Richard was distracted in the bathroom, Sylvia scolded Jeffrey for being so careless. He apologized and promised that nothing like that would ever happen again. Sylvia forgave him quickly because nothing terrible had happened. Everyone was safe.

From then on, Jeffrey became much more serious with Richard. They still played, but he learned how to be an adult around the kid and how important it was to supervise him. Sylvia was proud of her husband, and she eventually trusted him fully to watch her kid.

What can we learn from this story?

• You always have to supervise children. Jeffrey was a bit careless, and Richard wandered off. He should've checked that he was safe before going back to sleep.
• Trust is something you build over time and with effort. Jeffrey managed to earn Sylvia's trust again once he started acting like an adult around her kid.

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

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who returned early from a business trip and discovered a baby in the house.

This account is inspired by our reader's story 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.