Boy Gets Angry at Grandmother for Gifting Him an Old Box until It Opens – Story of the Day

Bobby always resented how his parents made him care for his sister, Amelia. One day, their grandmother gave him an old box, but Amelia received a new bike, and he thought it was unfair. His sister took the box and never bothered to open it until it accidentally opened years later, revealing its shocking contents.

"Wait for your sister, Bobby," his mother, Anne-Marie, scolded when he wanted to start eating his cereal. His parents had this rule about having breakfast together at the table, where no one could start eating until they had all sat down.

Bobby was 12 years old and already resented everything about being a big brother to his nine-year-old sister, Amelia. To him, it was clear that she was the favorite, although that wasn't true at all. His parents only wanted him to learn responsibility and teach him to take care of his family, mainly because they weren't rich and needed to look out for each other. But Bobby didn't get that. He thought she was more important to them.

Their mother wouldn't let them start breakfast until everyone was at the table, and Bobby wanted to eat quickly. | Source: Pexels

Finally, Amelia came down, and they ate. Bobby rushed through his breakfast as he wanted to get to school early and talk with his friends. Luckily, their school in Jacksonville, Florida, was walking distance from their humble home, but his parents always made him walk Amelia to and back from school. He also hated this task and hoped for more independence from being a babysitter.

"Move, Amelia!" he urged once he was done with his cereal and waited impatiently by the door as his sister got up from the table. She put her shoes on, grabbed her bag, and finally exited. Bobby took her hand and started rushing her towards the corner of their street. Once there, he took off at a run, leaving her behind.

"Bobby!" she called out, as she did every morning. Amelia always tried to catch up with him, but Bobby had longer legs and could run faster.

"I'm in a hurry! See you later!" he replied, not caring about his sister.

Bobby left his sister once they turned a corner, rushing to see his friends at school. | Source: Pexels

Fortunately, Amelia was brilliant and knew how to get to school. She also didn't want to rat out her big brother and just trekked to school as quickly as she could.

***

One weekend, their parents announced that they would be traveling to their grandmother's house in Lafayette, Florida, which took over two hours by bus. It was a pretty rural town and Bobby hated it because the house had no Wi-Fi, but Amelia loved it because the house was pretty big with a piece of land where they could run.

Their grandmother, Rosie, had lived alone there since their grandfather's passing a few years ago, and Anne-Marie tried to visit her every once in a while because she didn't want to move closer to them. Bobby just hoped the weekend would pass quickly.

It didn't. It was boring, and he complained as much as he could, hoping his mom and dad would get tired and finally hop on a bus home. But they didn't budge. They were returning Sunday, as planned.

That Sunday, Rosie had a special present for Bobby and Amelia. She called them over to the living room, but Bobby got there first because Amelia was outside.

Their grandmother called them over and revealed something shocking to Bobby first. | Source: Pexels

"Where's your sister?" his grandmother asked.

"She's outside. She likes making people wait for her for everything. It's so annoying," he griped.

"That's your sister, Bobby, and family is the most precious gift in the world," Rosie chided him, making Bobby roll his eyes.

"Ok, whatever. What's up?"

"Let me get something," Rosie stated and approached the coat closet. She opened the door and rolled out a brand new bike.

"Grandma! Oh my god!! Thank you so much!! This will be great to get to school!!" he cheered, hugging the old woman willingly for the first time.

"Uh, no, honey. This is actually for Amelia. I have something else for you," Rosie interjected, spoiling Bobby's happiness in an instant. Then she retrieved an old box from the closet. "Here you go."

"What? Why don't I get a bike too? That's not fair! Grandma, you also like my sister more than me. Mom and Dad are the same way. Why is she the favorite?" he whined, angry tears in his eyes.

Bobby got angry and didn't want to hear his grandmother's explanation. | Source: Pexels

"Bobby, that's not true at all. We don't have favorites. It's just—"

"No! I don't want to hear it! You can keep that stupid box or give it to her too. Whatever!" Bobby said and walked to the guest room to pack his things in anger.

His family walked to the bus stop with Amelia on her bike, and Bobby couldn't keep the sour expression off his face. He saw his mother carrying the old box for her and became even angrier. He resolved that day never to talk to his grandmother again.

***

A few years later, his family decided to move to Lafayette to be closer to Rosie. Although Bobby once asked her what was inside, Amelia had never opened the box.

"I don't know what it is, but Grandma said it was a special family heirloom and that I had to keep it safe, so I won't open it until I'm a grown-up," she explained, making him scoff at her stupid decision.

But he didn't care either way. Sometimes, she let him borrow the bike, which was enough for him. His parents also eased in making him care for her so much, so his resentment had subsided over the years. However, he would soon harbor bad thoughts against Amelia again.

While moving to a new house, Amelia accidentally dropped the old box and its contents were revealed. | Source: Pexels

As they were finished moving into their house in Lafayette, Amelia accidentally dropped the box revealing what was inside. It was a watch, and it looked like a precious antique.

Anne-Marie helped Amelia pick it up and put it back into the box, and Bobby heard her words. "Amelia, this is my great-grandfather's watch. It's very old, and it's very precious. You have to be more careful."

Bobby raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wait, it's valuable?" he asked his mother.

"Of course," his mother responded, and Bobby was shocked. But his mother wasn't done. "That's why my mother wanted to give it to you. She saved money for Amelia's bike, but she knew you don't really enjoy the outdoors that much. She wanted you to keep the watch for the future."

Bobby spluttered. "Well, then we can sell it now? It's mine anyway!"

Anne-Marie shook her head, pursing her lips. "No, honey. It's not yours. It now belongs to Amelia. You rejected this gift, which is worth way more than a simple bike."

Bobby's mother told him some serious truth, and he had to learn a harsh lesson that day. | Source: Pexels

"It's the fairest. You saw an old box and couldn't imagine why my mother would choose to give you that, and you acted like a petulant kid all those years ago. Now, you have to live with consequences," she continued, looking at her son seriously. "Some lessons are the hardest to learn."

Bobby's jaw dropped at his mother's words, and he stormed into the house in a tantrum despite being a full teenager. He was so angry, and his father came to talk to him that night. After a while and a few tears, he understood what he had done wrong. He place more value on outward appearances when what really matters is what's inside.

What can we learn from this story?

• It's vital never to underestimate certain things because you don't see their value right away. Bobby didn't care what was inside the box because he wanted the bike, which was a huge mistake.
• Any gift given with love should be received gratefully. Bobby should've accepted the present from his grandmother regardless of what he wanted. It's the polite thing to do.

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