\nA poor boy begged his mom to give him the last $13 she had saved for their food to start a business. Several months later, he took her to the spot where they lived in a tiny, old trailer and gave her the keys to their $2M bungalow.\n
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.\n
\u201cWho 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!\u201d dreamed the poor widow who worked as a janitor and struggled to make ends meet.\n
\n
One day, the mother\u2019s 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\u2026\n
\u201cMom, when are we going to start living in a nice house?\u201d 13-year-old Simon asked his mother. \u201cIt\u2019s getting colder here, and it\u2019s stuffy inside.\u201d\n
\u201c\u2026just give me that money, and you won\u2019t regret it\u2026I\u2019m not asking for a penny more, just what you have,\u201d begged the boy.
\nAnnie 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.\n
\u201cVery soon\u2026We will move from here very soon, son,\u201d she said in tears. \u201cNow, close your eyes and go to sleep.\u201d\n
But Annie couldn\u2019t sleep peacefully. She was aware that \u201cvery soon\u201d would never arrive. She spent the night near her son, her heart heavy, resigned that misery would cling to them forever.\n
The next morning, Simon\u2019s friends called him out to play, but the boy refused because he could not be happy whenever he thought about his mom\u2019s 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.\n
\u201cWhoa! That\u2019s unbelievable!\u201d 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.\n
\u201cI have an idea!\u201d he said, excited. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I think of it before?\u201d He ran home as fast as he could and was panting when he got there, begging for money from his mother.\n
\u201cBut son, I don\u2019t have much left. I only have $13 and need that to buy bread and eggs. It\u2019s the last bit I have until my next paycheck, which is next week,\u201d Annie grumbled.\n
Simon was stubborn. \u201cMom, trust me\u2026just give me that money, and you won\u2019t regret it\u2026I\u2019m not asking for a penny more, just what you have.\u201d\n
Reluctant but curious, Annie tossed the $13 in Simon\u2019s hands, waiting to see what he was going to do with it.\n
Later that afternoon, the boy returned home with a bunch of packets in his hand. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d she asked him, but he ignored her and took a shovel to get started.\n
Annie watched in disbelief as Simon began shoveling a spot outside their trailer. He tilled it, making several beds, and began to tear the packets he brought a while ago.\n
\u201cSimon, what are you doing?\u201d Annie asked him. \u201cAre those seeds? Do we have time for all this? What is wrong with you?\u201d\n
The boy smiled, and after he finished sowing the last packet of seeds, he looked at his mother and said, \u201cMom, only if we sow today can we reap tomorrow!\u201d\n
At first, Annie did not understand what the boy meant by that, but for the next several weeks, Simon worked very hard in his garden. He watered it, plucked the weeds, and was delighted to see the first fresh sprouts appear through the cracks of the wet soil.\n
Soon, a once-barren yard outside their trailer was filled with fresh herbs and plants. Annie was amazed. At first, she thought these were for their domestic use. But Simon did not allow her when she went to pluck a tomato. The mother was shocked by what he then told her.\n
\u201cMom, we are not allowed to nibble at our own produce. I\u2019m selling them in the little stall I\u2019m putting up\u2026and we should only use the leftovers if we want to grow big!\u201d said the boy, leaving Annie amazed.\n
Soon, Simon\u2019s fresh garden produce was what people wanted to take home for a nutritious meal. The boy had used natural pesticides, and everything in his stall sold out pretty quickly as soon as it was displayed.\n
Gradually, Simon started making more money than he thought. But then he realized his garden was too small to produce more. He expanded it, and this time, he cultivated fruits and exotic flowers along with vegetables.\n
With more money streaming in, Simon and his mom moved into a rented house near their trailer. Annie quit her job and started to help her son in the field. It boosted Simon\u2019s determination further. Together, the mom and son sold healthy garden produce in their stall, which was now bigger and attracted the town\u2019s attention.\n
But their unsuspecting success did not do without amassing rivalry and contempt from a wealthy farmer, Alex. The man could not endure the mysterious success of an aspiring young boy and wanted to meet him to learn the tricks of the trade and to beat him in the race to fame.\n
One day, Alex drove to meet Simon and was astonished to see his garden. He looked around and inhaled deeply, expecting the scent of chemicals, but there was none.\n
\u201cI\u2019m surprised! How are you able to grow such healthy produce without the infusion of chemical pesticides, son?\u201d he curiously asked the boy.\n
Simon smiled and said, \u201cWe humans can only survive eating food, not poison. So why feed the poor plants toxins when you have natural alternatives to keep them insect and pest-free?!\u201d\n
The boy\u2019s reply hit Alex hard in the head. He was amazed at the true talent the young Simon was and how smart he was. He regretted hating Simon without knowing his skills and decided to team up with him.\n
Feeling overwhelmed and impressed by the boy\u2019s ideas of growing naturally healthy garden produce, Alex invited him to work on his farm.\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a laborer, son. You can be my partner. Together, we can grow nice garden produce, what do you think?\u201d the man offered.\n
Simon could not believe his ears and ran to his mother to share the news. He asked her opinion on whether to take that next big step, unaware that it would soon change their lives.\n
After deep thought, Annie agreed and allowed Simon to work with Alex. For the next several months, the boy balanced school and gardening on the man\u2019s farm while looking after his little garden near their trailer because he was always grateful for that.\n
In no time, Alex and Simon\u2019s combined efforts succeeded. Apart from selling their fresh produce locally, they even started exporting to neighboring states.\n
Two years later, Simon saved a huge chunk of money and could not wait to fulfill his mom\u2019s wish. With Alex\u2019s help, he built a big house in the area where their trailer once stood and honored his mother with the house keys.\n
At that moment, Annie realized her wish had come true. Her son had succeeded and made her the queen of a big palace. She shed tears of joy and hugged her boy.\n
\u201cSimon, my boy\u2026\u201d Annie cried. \u201cYou are supposed to enjoy your childhood, but you sacrificed all your fun and friendship to make me smile. I love you, darling!\u201d\n
\u201cOh, come on, mom, I\u2019ll do anything for you,\u201d Simon replied. I can laugh and run again, but I cannot see you struggling. My childhood has not gone anywhere\u2026I\u2019m always your little boy!\u201d\n
Although Simon grew into a wealthy young lad, he still paid gratitude to the little garden that catapulted him to success. He continued to harvest its fresh produce but he never sold them anymore.\n
\u201c\u2026because you know mom, we need to stay healthy and fit. We need to taste the fruits of our hard work at the end of the day, so we are not gonna sell them but eat them!\u201d he laughed.\n
While Simon continues to keep his head high in his newfound success and business, rumor has it that he is expanding his business in another state. Well, good luck, Simon! Keep going!\n
What can we learn from this story?\n
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.
\nDon\u2019t 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.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A poor boy begged his mom to give him the last $13 she had saved for their food to start a business. Several months later, he took her to the spot where they lived in a tiny, old trailer and gave her the keys to their $2M bungalow. Motivating children to work hard with determination\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99218,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[657,642],"tags":[818,426],"class_list":{"0":"post-99215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-love-and-relationships","8":"category-moral-story","9":"tag-moral-touching-stories","10":"tag-love"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/mom-last-13.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99219,"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99215\/revisions\/99219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lorevista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}