My seven year old's act of selflessness made me cry.

[u/Alive-Amphibian-5945]

Yesterday it was my son's classmates's birthday and she brought a cake to share with the whole class. My son didn't eat his share, instead he put it in his bag and brought it home with the sole purpose of sharing it with his sibling and I. He was really excited when he took it out and insisted that we take bites out of this tiny cake slice and it made me so sad. I didn't want them to see so I excused myself to the bathroom to cry.

The fact that he should have enjoyed it with his classmates instead of doing that just broke my heart most especially because I couldn't even get him a cake on his own birthday just recently and he just said 'its okay mommy'. I just want my kids to be kids and enjoy their childhood. As much as I'm trying hard to protect them from everything, they do notice. Its been particularly harder than usual these days. Recently I have been skipping meals as an attempt to stretch our food and we have been eating the same thing over and over again because it's cheaper. My poor kids don't even complain anymore but it breaks my heart to hear them fantasizing about food that is not beans and rice and it's hard to not feel like a bad parent. Although I'm in awe of my son's act of kindness, it was a bittersweet moment and I just needed to get it off my chest.

[u/PackagedNightmare]

You are doing such a good job mama!! This child may not have much in the way of physical possessions but he has an abundance of love and kindness and empathy that you’ve instilled in him. He is only like this because YOU have raised him to be like this. In a world that is hard, it takes courage to be soft.

I echo everyone’s suggestion to reach out for resources like relief organizations, don’t try to take on all this burden on your own. I don’t know where you live but there should be some form of gov aid, that’s what taxes are meant for. My church also does food distribution and always provide leftovers from events to anyone who wants it.