At 3am, she caught her father-in-law sneaking into her bedroom. When she lifted the blanket, the daughter-in-law was surprised by this.

Maria, a young mother in Quezon City, has been married to Ramon for 5 years and has a 4-year-old son named Paolo. Recently, Ramon has had to go on a long-distance work trip, only coming home once a week, so most of the childcare and housework falls on Maria’s shoulders.

Her father-in-law, Mr. Eduardo, 63, used to be a motorcycle mechanic. He is quiet and only occasionally takes his grandchild to school. In Maria’s eyes, he is a bit dry and rarely shares child-rearing stories with her.

Paolo is in a stubborn phase, whining and crying every night, refusing to go to bed, and is a picky eater. He goes to work during the day and comes home at night, and Maria has to manage everything, many days he is so exhausted that he cries. One time, because she was so tired, she coaxed her child and wiped her tears on the balcony, but she didn’t tell anyone, not even her father-in-law.

The moment at 3am

That night, around 3am, Maria was thirsty and was about to get up when she heard the door of her room open slightly. In the house, there was only her father-in-law and son, her heart suddenly started to beat faster. She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Through the dim light outside the window, she recognized Mr. Eduardo’s figure.

He approached and gently lifted the blanket on his daughter-in-law. Maria held her hand tightly, her mind tense, not knowing what would happen. But right after that, she felt something being placed on the blanket, then he quietly turned away, closing the door very gently.

She jumped up and looked down: it was…
Read the whole story below the first comment a brown envelope. Inside was a stack of money and a neatly handwritten note:

“Maria, the other day I heard you crying on the balcony, I know you’re having a hard time. Don’t take it all on yourself. Take this money to take care of Paolo, and also to nourish you. If you want to sleep more tomorrow, then sleep, I’ll take Paolo to school and buy breakfast. I also asked Mr. Mang Tony at the end of the alley, he said that children who are lazy to brush their teeth should buy toothpaste with superheroes on it, I’ve left it in the bathroom for Paolo.”

At the end of the note, he also wrote a few “tips”:

Paolo likes fire trucks, you can say “the car needs refueling” and he’ll eat vegetables.

Before going to bed, tell him a short story, don’t rush him, he’ll fall asleep easier.

Reading each crooked line, Maria’s eyes blurred. She suddenly remembered a few days ago when her father-in-law asked Paolo what character he liked, remembered the tube of superhero toothpaste placed in the bathroom, remembered the mornings when he got up early to cook, not letting his daughter-in-law work hard. It turned out that it was all his quiet concern.

The secret was discovered

Passing the room, she saw the light coming out. Gently pushing the door open, Maria caught him wearing glasses, attentively reading the book “Psychology of Children 3–6 years old”, the pages were covered in red lines. Next to it was a notebook filled with lines like “how to deal with whining children”, “how to talk without getting angry”.

Discovered, he was a bit confused:
– Why are you up at this hour?

Maria wiped her tears, handed the envelope back:
– Dad, I can’t accept this money. I understand your heart, thank you for always finding ways to help me teach Paolo.

But he gently pushed it back:
– You keep it, consider it as my contribution. Raising Paolo was the responsibility of the whole family. Dad couldn’t help much, he could only study extra and help a little.

A home filled with love

From that day on, Maria no longer had to shoulder the burden alone. In the morning, she could sleep in, Mr. Eduardo would take her to school. In the evening, when she was tired, he would say:
– Go to bed, let me play with Paolo.

Thanks to those “little tips”, Paolo gradually became more obedient, less whining, and Maria felt relieved, clearly feeling in that small house in Quezon City a silent but profound love – fatherly love, grandfatherly love, and family love