20+ Parents Who Always Try to Give Their Body and Soul to Their Kids

Two of the biggest sacrifices most parents make in order to raise their kids well enough is time and money. They usually don’t have time to invest in their own interests and hobbies and they use the majority of their money for their kids. Either it’s money for food and clothes or savings for their future, they definitely struggle to provide everything to us. And most of the times, kids have no idea until they are much older and are able to understand things better.

• When I was a child, my mother cooked a delicious soup that she never made again. As an adult, I asked her why she never made that delicious soup again, and with tears in her eyes she confessed that she didn’t have anything for us to eat that day, so she gathered the leftovers from everything in the kitchen and that was the result. A kiss to all the mothers who work miracles for their children. Franklin Fernando / Facebook
• My parents did everything they could to give us a good life, my mother stayed at home so that my brother and I were never alone or unattended — we were always clean and well-fed. My dad didn’t take a single vacation day in 20 years, and thanks to that we always had a school uniform and supplies. Ayk Muebles / Facebook

• This disabled man is playing basketball with his son who also has Down Syndrome.

• My granny had 8 kids. She always claimed to like the chicken neck, which is mostly bone with little meat, and the meat is slimy and gritty. They always thought she just loved the neck. Much later, they realized she took the neck so they could have the good parts of the chicken. Queen_Gumby / Reddit
• Almost every Sunday, my mother made a soup with the leftover food from the week. It was a delicacy for us, and we didn’t realize what it really was. Laura Sotelo / Facebook
• There were quite a few years where money was tight for us. We didn’t miss any bills or anything, but there wasn’t a lot of money left over for going out, buying candy etc. One year my parents had almost no money left over to buy Christmas presents for us so my dad took a seasonal job sorting packages for UPS in the evenings. Two or so days a week he would work a five-six hour shift after working a full day already. He was in his mid 40s, so it wasn’t the easiest thing for him and he would come home completely exhausted. Then he’d get back up the next day and go back to work. He did it simply to make sure that us kids had presents under the tree that year. Not a huge thing in the grand scheme of things, but it had quite an impact on me as a child. snoobsnob / Reddit

• My brother was the first to graduate with a Master’s in my family. My dad couldn’t stop crying.

• I knew we grew up pretty poor, but my grandma told me three weeks ago that my mom and dad would alternate which nights they’d eat dinner. I didn’t know it was that bad. Tiff_Rex / Reddit
• I am, from oldest to youngest, the second of many siblings. I remember when I was between 10 and 12 years old, my dad bought us a complete outfit for Christmas. On December 24th, wearing everything, I was walking down the stairs to the second floor and I slipped. I fell but nothing serious happened because my dad was there. He took me in his arms and kept me from hitting the floor. Wilfredo Wilches / Facebook
• Opting not to fix her own teeth so I could have braces. She has to have dentures now. Not getting her own glasses so I could have a new pair. TaiDollWave / Reddit

• Father and son decide to get in shape together.
• I remember we never bought sandwiches. My mother would buy sliced bread, butter, and white cheese — I didn’t even know about the existence of mozzarella or cheddar cheese. She would run the white cheese through boiling water to soften it and bring down the saltiness, add it to the bread, butter it, and then smash them in a pan using another metal pan. They were the best sandwiches of my life. Eduards Amaris Barrios / Genial
• When I was little, I used to get sick a lot with my stomach and respiratory tract and I always had a dirty nose. One time there was a costume contest at school, I won for being a wicked witch and my gift was several boxes of tissues. My mom was very excited, as she made the costume with a lot of effort, while I was very embarrassed about my gift. Merrie Islas / Facebook

• In my childhood, I never felt poor, my grandmother and my aunt made sure that we didn’t have to go without anything, the children of the neighbors were the ones who told us that we were poor because we had no luxuries. Rubiela Montoya / Facebook
• My mother would eat the meat from the spine of the chicken, and I couldn’t understand why. She would also bring us snacks from her work that we all loved, while she didn’t seem to like them at all. Lilia Betancourt Guilian / Facebook
• I didn’t realize it at the time but to pay for my college tuition and expenses, my dad dumped his entire retirement for me. I didn’t understand how much it was and how little my parents had left afterwards. It was a massive risk on their part if I didn’t make anything of myself or they weren’t able to make ends meet. Fast forward a decade and I’m making more than both of my parents combined at their peak income and I’m supporting them in their retirement. I’m happy to do it. spider_wolf / Reddit

• My father made it for me as a high school graduation gift.

Do you remember a story where your mom or dad went the extra mile for their family? Tell us in the comments.