Unfiltered Story #310422

My mother had me when she was very young: my grandparents disowned her for choosing to keep me, and my father was not involved in my life. My mother and I were extremely close as a result.

One of our favorite things to do together was cooking. We couldn’t afford to eat out or expensive foods, but my mother had a gift for turning almost anything into a gourmet meal. I was insanely proud of her and wore the term “Mama’s Boy” like a badge of honor.

When I was 17, my mother became ill and went quickly. I expected to end up in foster care until I turned 18, but my father was contacted and agreed to allow me to move in with his family (his wife, my 5 year old brother, and my 7 year old sister).

My father and stepmother were not cruel to me, but they didn’t pay much attention to me either. However, I did end up becoming extremely close to my brother and sister and I loved spending time with them. One night my father and SM were working late and asked if I would babysit and make sure that the kids got dinner. They asked that I make them burgers and fries.

I couldn’t resist showing off a bit. My mother had a fantastic recipe for hamburgers that only used a few basic ingredients and I served the kids her special burgers, seasoned fries, and balsamic carrots. They loved everything and even asked for more carrots.

When my father and stepmother got home, the kids raved to them about their dinner and told them that (my name) should always cook for them. I noticed that my stepmother looked a little annoyed by this.

The next day SM confronted me, accusing me of making her “look bad” in front of her children and demanding an apology. I can have a bad temper, but I tried to stay calm and told her that I was not going to apologize for feeding my siblings a meal that they enjoyed.

She then asked “Where did a BOY learn to cook anyway?” I was confused and told her that my mother had taught me. She went storming off, and then looked back and said “I bet it was terrible and (brother and sister) were only being polite!”

The next year was tense, but I finally was able to move out into my own place and I’m now training to be a professional chef, using the recipes and skills my mother taught me. Since they still sometimes need a baby-sitter, my father and SM do drop the kids off at my house from time to time, with the understanding that if I’m going to feed these children, I’m not going to half-ass it.