Single mom works hard for her son – His friend’s parents offer to adopt him
A single mother of one found herself in a difficult situation after failing to recognize danger signs that were putting her and her son’s safety at risk.
She shared her story on Reddit’s “True Off My Chest” forum and explained that she and her son were living together in a one-bedroom apartment and had never had many possessions but were used to a moderate living that she could afford for them. The boy’s father was never in the photo and never saw his son nor contributed to his economic education.
The woman worked and always tried her best to give her son the best life possible, but the reality was that they always struggled to make a living.
His son, Owen, went to a public school without many opportunities. When he was about to enter second grade, his mother decided to transfer schools and Owen attended another public school near his mother’s work. This makes things a little easier for the woman who can now move between her son’s school and work.
At his new school, Owen befriends a boy named Charlie. The two bonded and began spending more time together.
According to Charlie’s parents, Nate and Paige, not only do they not mind having Owen around, but they are also happy for him to spend time at their house hanging out with their son.
As the 2022 summer vacation approaches, this woman finds herself in a challenging situation. She considered a free or low-cost camp for Owen, but Paige, a stay-at-home mom, offered to take care of Owen for the week.
Although this sounded generous, the woman did not feel comfortable leaving her son in someone else’s care for long periods of time, but since Owen and Charlie had become close friends, she accepted the offer. Offer and thank Paige for her hospitality.
During his time off, Owen enjoyed a week filled with activities. Not only that, he was also given all kinds of gifts.
When summer came, Charlie’s parents offered to take Owen on vacation with them. Owen’s mother felt it wasn’t right, but she didn’t want to forbid her son from having fun with his best friends, so she finally agreed. She even expressed her gratitude towards Nate and Paige, constantly feeling overwhelmed by their generosity.
However, as time passes, Owen’s mother becomes concerned about Paige’s infatuation with Owen. Paige confides that they initially decided to give Charlie a sibling, but circumstances prevented it and Owen feels like a brother to Charlie.
This revelation raised concerns, but the woman still believed that the family’s relationship with her son was an innocent one.
When Christmas 2022 came around, Paige and Nate insisted Owen to spend the holiday with them. They bough plenty of gifts for him and said they were looking forward for being together for the holiday.
This time, it seems their generosity has gone too far and the woman begins to doubt their intentions.
Well, she turned out to be right.
When she confronted them and asked what was really going on, Paige and Nate said they wanted to possess Owen forever. They even offered the woman possible solutions on how they could become his legal guardians.
“I thought they were joking and said, ‘Like what, you’d be his guardians or something?’” quipped the single mom. “They got quiet and the reality rushed over me.”
The woman was completely shocked. She said she would never, not in her wildest dreams, consider giving up her son. That’s when they started convincing her that she should consider it for Owen’s sake.
At that moment, the woman held her son’s hand and left Charlie’s parents’ house. She then blocked their numbers and decided to cut off all contact with them, but she was still worried about Owen’s safety.
Things were difficult because Owen and Charlie became inseparable and explaining to her son why he couldn’t hang out with Charlie anymore or never visit his place again seemed difficult. is a burden.
She truly didn’t know what her next step should be. Returning to his old school wasn’t an option for Owen at that point.
The woman even considered moving places, but with her finances, that wasn’t a possibility.
Following the Reddit community advice, the woman contacted her son’s school and explained Nate and Paige were no longer allowed to pick up Owen due to safety concerns.
Owen and Charlie still interacted at school, but that was it. She explained to Owen that they couldn’t be having sleepovers any longer or hang out outside of the school.
One day, upon finishing school, Owen took the bus to a local recreation center for aftercare. Both the school and the center were alerted about Paige and Nate, and that particular day, the woman received a phone call about Paige wanting to take Owen from the center. The front desk, aware of the situation, refused to release him. Police were called, and Paige was escorted out of the building.
Paige wasn’t arrested but a police report was filed which the woman intended to use in court to obtain an order of protection.
The day after the incident, the woman finally gathered the courage to tell the truth to Owen and why he couldn’t be friends with Charlie any longer, except their meetings within the school.
When she told him that Charlie’s parents wanted to take him from her and become his legal guardians, Owen told his mom he would never leave her, not for any present in the world. He assured her that he would always pick her, because she was his mom who worked hard to give him a decent life.