Woman realizes that ex-husband's girlfriend made her kid's birthday special in their absence

For parents, nothing tops the well-being of their kids. It's a love unparalleled, deep and true. In this touching tale, two parents, torn between their hospitalized son and their other son's birthday, found an unexpected hero. The story was originally shared by u/BowlerInner626 who was the mother of the hospitalized kid.

She titled the story "Emotional after finding out what my ex-husband's girlfriend did for our son," and it has actually left everyone feeling a little emotional. The mother began the story by giving some context about how difficult the year had been for her family since their oldest son got into an accident a few months ago. He suffered some serious injuries and was hospitalized for a few weeks after the accident. When the older son was in a coma, the younger son's birthday came. The mother said, "I feel like cr*p for it, but I completely forgot. I was so terrified that my older son would die that I couldn't think of much else." She further added, "My ex-husband and I spent every waking hour at the hospital and regrettably weren't really there for our youngest."

All this while, the youngest son was apparently living with the ex-husband's sister. The day after his birthday, the youngest came to the hospital and saw his brother. When he reached the hospital, he hugged his parents. He told them he loved them and thanked them for doing something for him even in these difficult times. While the separated couple had no idea what he was talking about, they just assumed that maybe the ex-husband's sister did something for the kid and said it was from his parents. However, the mother got to know the real story of the incident.

Apparently, it wasn't the sister of the ex-husband; it was the girlfriend. The mother said, "She baked a really cool cake for him, bought him a new gaming chair and headset that he wanted and took it to him on his birthday saying they were from me and my ex." The girlfriend also wrote a card for the kid from his parents' perspective and signed it off, saying, "Never forget how much we love you-mum and dad." When the mother asked her ex-husband if he had put his girlfriend up to this, he said that he was just as surprised.

The girlfriend didn't even mention it to him. This heartwarming reality made the mother cry. She said just how incredibly sweet it was of the girlfriend to do this for her son, especially at a time when the former felt like she'd let down her youngest son. They applauded the girlfriend's kindness and said, "And the fact that she gave my ex and my credit for her work when she doesn't even know me and wasn't asked to do it makes me emotional. She has such a kind heart."

u/CautiousDeparture92 said, "And this is true stepmom behavior, propping up all the relationships around the kids with love - the more the merrier!" u/ryry_ny, shared a heartfelt story and said, "A girl I once coached had a dad and a stepdad. Her mom (who was a loving mother) worked weekends and could rarely make her games. Both dad and stepdad attended every practice and game and sat together, both yelling 'That’s my kid!' and 'Come on up!' and all the standard parent stuff. Most people thought they were a couple and she was their daughter together. They would explain if you asked but otherwise didn’t really make a big deal of it. They were such a great example." This story beautifully illustrates the boundless love children deserve from the adults in their lives.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 23, 2023. It has since been updated.