Three children refused to care for their mother, wanting to send her to a nursing home — until a 12-year-old grandchild stood up and said something that shocked them all…/th
Madam Tư was nearly 80. All her life, she had worked hard selling goods at the market, raising her three children — two sons and a daughter — on her own. Ever since her husband passed away early, she had never thought about remarrying, focusing only on bringing up her children. To earn enough for their education, she would wake at 3 a.m. to go to the market, sit by her stall in the blazing midday sun, and come home late at night.
On rainy, stormy days, she’d be drenched through but still tried to sell a few more bundles of vegetables or a basket of fish. She never spent the money she earned on herself, only on school fees and books for her children. She ate cold rice, wore old clothes, but her children were always well provided for.
Time passed. Her children grew up, started their own families. The eldest son became the director of a construction company, the second son opened a furniture store, and the youngest daughter married into a wealthy family. When they became successful, she was happy, thinking she had fulfilled her duty as a mother, and now could spend her last years close to her children and grandchildren.
But life didn’t turn out as she had hoped. Whenever she hinted at living with one of them to help care for the grandchildren, they always found an excuse to refuse.
The eldest son said:
— “I’m so busy, always on business trips. My house is small — it would be inconvenient for you to stay here.”
The second son forced a smile:
— “If you live with me, my wife would feel uncomfortable. You know her temperament…”
The youngest daughter was more tactful:
— “I live with my husband’s family. It would be hard for you. It’s better you stay in your own house. We’ll visit you often.”
But in truth, their visits could be counted on one hand.
One day at the end of the year, Madam Tư called all three children home for a family meeting. During dinner, she gently said:
— “I don’t want to live alone anymore. I’m old now, and I want to spend my last days with my children and grandchildren.”
The three children looked at one another, but no one spoke. Finally, the eldest son said:
— “How about… we send you to a nursing home? There, you’ll have professional care and won’t feel lonely.”
The second son nodded:
— “Yes, it’s better than living alone. You’ll have friends your age.”
The youngest daughter agreed, though her heart sank a little.
As they were discussing the arrangements, suddenly the 12-year-old son of the second brother — little Tí — slammed his chopsticks down on the table, his eyes red:
— “Dad! Uncle! Auntie! Do you remember who stayed up late knitting sweaters for you? Who cooked, washed clothes, and took you to school? If YOU send Grandma to a nursing home, then one day I’ll send YOU there too! I don’t want Grandma to live there. I want her to live with us. If you don’t agree, I’ll give her my room!”
The words stunned everyone into silence. The three children froze as memories of their childhood came flooding back — the image of their frail mother, with calloused hands and a bent back from years of labor. Tears welled up in their eyes.
The next day, all three went to apologize to Madam Tư. In the end, she moved in with the second son’s family. They took care of her with love, and their family meals became warm and lively again.
A few years later, Madam Tư passed away in the arms of her children and grandchildren, a peaceful smile on her lips. On her 49th-day memorial, the three children opened her wardrobe to sort through her belongings and found an old wooden box. Inside was her will: each of them would inherit a house she had quietly bought years ago.
In her letter, she wrote:
“I know you all have your own worries, so I saved something for you. But the thing I hope you will keep forever is not these houses, but family love.”
The three children embraced each other and wept. They finally understood that the greatest inheritance their mother had left was not the houses, but the lesson of love and responsibility as children.
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