It Was Not Right
When the stepfather told the mother about his plans, she was outraged. Her ears were filled with shock as she heard what was happening. There was something completely insane about the man's behavior.
It was confusing for her 8-year-old son to be asked such a thing, and he had no idea what he had done wrong to deserve such treatment. It seemed as though he was being punished for something. Why did his stepfather act the way he did?
Charlie Green
Charlie Green was a normal 8-year-old boy who loved school and was always with a book in his hand. His friends loved him, and he was the pride of his mother.
But when Charlie's father divorced his mother and stopped living with them, the boy started acting out. Even though his father was still in his life, Charlie didn't take the divorce well. And that would only be the beginning of his hardships.
Single Mother
Mary Green did everything she could to raise her son, Charlie. She sacrificed a lot for him, and she even got another job to be able to take care of him.
But life as a single mother wasn't easy. Charlie was a handful but understood their situation even though he was only 8 years old. Sadly, the peace in their home wouldn't last for long.
Finding Love Again
It took a while, but Mary found love again in a kind and attentive man who she met at her job as a waitress. He was charming and funny, and everything seemed great about him.
They fell in love, and even Charlie seemed to like the man and enjoyed his presence in the house. Would this situation last, though? Or would it have a sad ending for the boy?
Bigger Family
It didn't take long before Marie's boyfriend proposed to her. The wedding was a beautiful ceremony that marked the beginning of a beautiful family life together. It was magical.
The wedding followed soon after, and while everyone was incredibly happy for the newlyweds, there was someone who didn't share their feeling. Marie had no idea what was coming.
Happy Life
What followed was bliss. Marie was happy that she had found another man to love and was in heaven. Especially since her new husband had been involved in her son's life from the beginning.
The man was doing his best to be a model stepfather, but Charlie didn't entirely accept him at first. Things would soon change for the entire family, though.
Financial Troubles
A few months after the wedding, Marie's husband got laid off. He spiraled into a deep depression, and nothing seemed to make him feel better.
Things were tough for the entire family, but his stepfather's mental state also took a toll on Charlie. Besides all that, the family began to struggle financially as well.
Getting Back On Track
Eventually, the husband found a new job, and things started to pick up for the family. Everyone was in a good mood. They even celebrated the new step in the family's journey at a nice restaurant.
But Charlie still had trouble accepting the new man as his stepfather no matter how much he tried to get along with the child and make him happy.
An Allowance
Since things started to get better financially, the stepfather decided, along with Marie, to begin giving the 8-year-old an allowance. They both thought he deserved it and were finally able to do it.
His stepfather set on $100 per month, and Charlie was the happiest. Of course, this meant he would need to help with the chores around the house more, but it didn't matter. He had his own money and could buy toys and video games.
New Set Of Rules
But when the stepfather offered Charlie an allowance, he had a hidden agenda behind the gesture. The boy couldn't believe it. He didn't know what he had done wrong.
And the mother was left without words as well. She had no idea her husband had this in mind when he offered Charlie an allowance. What was going on?
Teaching Him A Lesson
The stepfather explained he wanted to charge his 8-year-old stepson $20 a month in living expenses. Since the boy got $100 a month in allowance, that's where the money would come from.
Charlie disagreed with this rule, but what could he do? He would risk losing his entire allowance if he protested too much. That's where his mother came in.
Money Management
However, the stepfather wanted to charge the boy $20 a month for living expenses despite his mother's adverse reaction. This would still leave the boy $80. His mother thought there was something wrong with that. He was just a child, so his money should be his.
The man intended to teach him about money management, which was very important to him. He didn't expect it to backfire like that.
Against It
Then Marie asked, "What would happen if he doesn't pay? Would you kick him out of the house?" The questions stumped the man.
The woman was definitely against the measure. She believed that it was too young to deal with such responsibility, and it might affect him negatively in the future. It just wasn't a good idea, and she didn't want to see it put into practice.
Negative Effects
The mother argued that telling an 8-year-old his basic needs weren't going to be met could cause a lot of problems.
It could be a traumatic experience to be 8 years old and feel like your parents are not providing for you, that you are a burden to them and need to pay for your place in their lives and home. The boy's home should be his safe place. Money management was important, but this was not the best way to go about it.
Compromise
Eventually, the stepfather caved in and agreed to a compromise with the mother. They decided to secure the boy's financial future differently.
The two parents opened a savings account for the boy instead, and they would just put a fixed amount every month for him to have when he grows older. And let Charlie keep his allowance untouched.
A Strange Request
Charlie was the happiest kid having his allowance uncompromised. He was already learning about the value of money from his stepdad in ways other than making him pay rent. He broke up his allowance into smaller figures so he could learn decimals.
But one day, Charlie had a peculiar request. He asked his stepfather if he could get $10 of his allowance in quarters. But these quarters would ultimately spell trouble for young Charlie. He just didn’t know it yet.
Asking Him What It Was For
“What’s it for, buddy?” He asked while tussling his hair. Charlie smiled up and explained what he wanted it for, “I want to practice math with the quarters.” His stepdad smiled at him and accepted his request.
He’d have to drive to the bank to get some money converted to quarters, but it was worth it for his son. However, he didn’t know what torment it would cause.
Giving Him The Change
On the way back from work, Charlie’s stepdad stopped off at the bank to get the change his son wanted. He arrived home and called Charlie, who excitedly ran down the stairs. He handed him the pouch full of coins.
Charlie was over the moon. But if his stepdad knew what the money would cause, he would never have given them to him.
Practicing
Over the next week, Charlie was over the moon with the new collection of quarters. He would empty them on his floor and count them, getting better every time. His stepdad watched with satisfaction.
By the end of the week, however, Charlie had other plans with the coins. The innocent boy had no idea what was coming to him.
Asking for Permission
A week later, Charlie approached his stepdad sheepishly. He could tell that the young boy wanted to ask another request. He assumed it would be to exchange the coins back for notes, but it was something entirely different.
The boy wanted to go out to the restaurant that was across the street from their house. He wanted to feel like an adult. He expected his stepdad to say no. But that was far from the truth.
Humoring Him
His stepdad was so impressed with him that he felt the boy was owed a reward. Since he could see the restaurant from his study in the house, he decided to humor him. And so that afternoon, Charlie went to the restaurant all on his own.
It was meant to be a treat for the young boy. But it would end with him in tears.
Watching His Pride And Joy
He watched little Charlie from his study window. The boy strutted across the street confidently and got the attention of one of the waitresses at the front of the restaurant. She looked sweet enough at the time.
But no one was aware of how much of a treacherous snake the server would end up being. They end up hurting his son in ways he couldn’t imagine.
Eating At The Restaurant
Little Charlie made his way to the restaurant and ordered himself a kids’ burger and chips, and made his way back home afterward. But it wasn’t long before his stepfather saw a social media post that made his blood boil.
The post was written by someone in the restaurant. At first, he couldn’t believe that the nastiness was directed at his own stepson.
A Nasty Post
The post in question was one made on Facebook. He didn’t have the heart to show it to his son. He knew it would only upset him. Someone had messed with the wrong family.
He soon dug a little deeper and realized that the waitress was the one responsible for the nasty post. He wouldn’t let her get off so easily after doing this to his boy.
A Fury
Charlie’s stepdad wasn’t prone to conflict. He was a very polite gentleman normally, but this stirred up a fury inside of him. The waitress’ nerve to say these things about his son wouldn’t end well for her.
The post’s caption was “how not to pay at a restaurant.” This was only the beginning of a huge controversy.
More To The Post
The post wasn’t over, though. The caption continued its hurtful words at the young boy. “This is completely ridiculous. Guys, don’t ever pay like this.” It was embarrassing for his son to be ridiculed like this.
The post also implied that his son’s parents should have been there to make sure he didn’t pay in quarters. This made his stepfather’s blood boil. How could she imply something like that?
Getting Even
No one insulted anyone in his family. He decided that he would get the nasty waitress, but the plan would take a lot of effort on his part. He owed it to his stepson to make sure she wouldn’t get away with this.
The restaurant and the waitress wouldn’t be able to put this behind them. They wouldn’t even be able to guess what he was going to do to them. But he wouldn’t resort to anything petty or violent. He’d get them back like an adult.
Fire With Fire
He decided to fight fire with fire. He would post something negative about the restaurant online, just as the waitress had done about his son. And what would the negative post be about? Well, the way they treated his son, of course.
Soon after he made his post, the restaurant quickly made the waitress take down her post. But things were already out in the open, and they were open to ridicule from everyone.
Public Opinion
The public wouldn’t be silent about both of the posts. They decided to side with little Charlie and made sure the restaurant knew what they thought of the negative post ridiculing the poor child.
The waitress and the restaurant deserved everything they got. What else was he supposed to do other than getting even with them?
An Apology
Not knowing what else to do, the restaurant publicly apologized to Charlie both online and in person. They also told him that they’d be happy to give him a free meal. But there was one condition they needed for peace.
Charlie and his stepdad insisted that there’d only be peace if he was allowed to pay in quarters whenever he wanted on principal. The restaurant relented, and Charlie was redeemed. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.