Parents Return from Vacation and Dependent Son They Left with His Grandfather Isn’t Home – Story of the Day

Tyler grew up with protective parents because they had a hard time getting pregnant. But when they left him at his grandfather's farm for a short vacation, they came back to discover something shocking about their son.

"Tyler, are you going to be alright at grandpa's house?" Marla Sanders asked her 13-year-old son, Tyler, who was in his messy room playing video games. The kid barely turned to his mother.

"Yeah, whatever, Mom," he answered and continued playing.

Marla was worried about leaving her son for two weeks for the first time ever. | Source: Pexels

"You know… I've been thinking maybe we could cancel and stay with you," Marla continued, starting to pick up his dirty clothes and putting them in the hamper.

"Mom, move! I can't see the T.V.," Tyler whined and continued playing.

When Marla finished picking up some of his mess, she talked to her husband, Fernando Sanders, about the situation. He told her they needed the vacation, mainly because it was a special deal for couples. That's the reason why they couldn't take their son. But Marla was still worried. This would be the first time that Tyler would be alone without them.

Marla and Fernando had been protective of Tyler his entire life because they struggled to have him. They went through several miscarriages before they finally had Tyler, so they cared for him dearly and spoiled him a bit too much.

Marla was still not convinced about leaving him, and Fernando tried to ease her worries. "Darling, it's not like he's going to be alone at all. We're leaving him with my dad. It's going to be fine," he appeased her.

Tyler was not looking forward to his stay at his grandpa's farm. | Source: Pexels

Fortunately, Marla was able to convince herself that Tyler would be okay, so they soon drove Tyler to his grandfather's farm in Illinois, which was only a few hours away from their house.

"Ok, honey, behave, listen to your grandpa, and make sure to call if you need us to come back," Marla reminded her son, her hands on his shoulders, while Tyler rolled his eyes and nodded.

"I'll be fine, Mom. Look at this place," the kid stated, gesturing to the general area, primarily empty grasslands. "What exactly am I going to do in this field?"

"Well, kid, I grew up here, and there are tons to do here," Fernando laughed and looked at his dad.

"Yeah, we'll have him milking cows pretty soon," Fernando Sr. stated, patting his son's shoulder and grinning.

"Oh, no, we don't want Tyler to be tiring himself working on the farm. It's better and safer if he just stays inside. Who knows what those animals will do to him? And the diseases? Eww," Marla began, her face contorting as she shook her head.

Fernando Sr. suggested teaching Tyler to help out, but Marla was against it. | Source: Pexels

"It would be good for him, darling," Fernando added.

"No, absolutely not!" Marla countered with a definitive tone. Finally, they decided to leave and waved goodbye to Fernando Sr. and Tyler as they got in their car and went to enjoy their vacation.

Two weeks later, Marla and Fernando returned to the farm town in Illinois and Marla was getting anxious. "Oh, I hope he wasn't too bored on the farm. I hope your dad didn’t come up with any shenanigans either," she worried, her hands playing on top of her legs.

Fernando sighed. "It'll be fine. Nothing bad happens on a farm, even if my father made him work a little. In fact, darling, I think some work would be good for him. We might be spoiling him too much."

Marla couldn't believe what Fernando Sr. had just told them. | Source: Pexels

"We don't spoil him! We just love and take care of our son! It's our duty. We brought him into the world," Marla scoffed, almost offended at her husband's insinuation. Fernando only sighed and continued driving.

***

"What?" Marla yelled at her father-in-law when they arrived at the farmhouse and discovered Tyler wasn't home.

"He'll be back soon," Fernando Sr. assured her, shrugging his shoulders.

"Where's is he exactly?" she demanded.

"Out. I think he went grocery shopping. He took your old bike, son. He really likes it," the older man said, smiling.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Marla shouted for real this time. "YOU LET ME SON GO OUT THERE ALONE? IN A TOWN HE DOESN'T KNOW? ALONE?!"

"Marla, it's ok. This is a safe town," her husband tried to soothe her, but she wouldn't hear of it.

"Call the police immediately!" she began, a little more hysterical than usual.

Fernando agreed with his father that Tyler needed to learn things on his own. | Source: Pexels

"Marla, stop it!" Fernando finally lost his temper, holding his wife's shoulders tightly. "Tyler is 13. He can out alone, and it's better for him."

"WHY DOES HE NEED TO GO OUT ALONE? YOUR DAD SHOULD'VE TAKEN HIM IN A CAR!" she yelled and cried.

"Marla," Fernando Sr. interjected. "I know how much you love your kid. But he is growing up, and for the first few days, it was clear that you do everything for him at home. The point of parenting is teaching him to be able to do things on his own. Otherwise, he'll be a 30-year-old mama's boy still living in your home."

"That's not right!" she wailed, tears falling from her eyes.

"I agree with my dad, darling," her husband chimed in. "We have coddled and spoiled Tyler for a long time. He has to be independent at some point. I mean, he can't even go out with his friends without you calling him every 20 minutes. That's not right."

Marla looked at them with the saddest expression, feeling like they were ganging up on her. But Tyler entered the farmhouse at that moment and gave them the happiest smile they had ever seen. "Mom! Dad! You're back! Cool! I bought us this great cake from the market! It's so tasty!"

Tyler arrived and told them everything he did, making his parents realize how good the experience was for him. | Source: Pexels

"I helped Grandpa on the farm. It was so cool. A calf was born! And Grandpa taught me how to use the lawnmower, and I've been earning some cash from the neighbors. It's a little far, but I love it! I met some cool kids here too. Can we come here more often?" Tyler excitedly shared while they all ate the cake.

When Marla saw how happy her son was, she finally smiled and relaxed and asked him to tell them more stories, which their son was only too happy to do.

Marla finally understood that Fernando and his father were right. Tyler was so delighted after earning a little independence, and he looked so much more mature than the kid they left two weeks ago. They started bringing him more often to the farm, and it was the best decision they ever made for their son.

What can we learn from this story?

• Give kids a chance to make mistakes, experience life, be independent, and thrive on their own. All kids need an opportunity to grow into themselves and become mature independently.
• Overprotection can be a hindrance to kids' growth. Marla and Fernando were overprotective of Tyler for many reasons, but they saw the errors in their ways after leaving him for only two weeks. This changed their perspective on parenting.

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