Neighbor Asked My Son to Shovel Snow for $10 a Day but Refused to Pay — So I Taught Him a Lesson He’ll Never Forget

“How was it today?” I’d ask, handing him a cup of hot chocolate.

“Good!

I’m getting faster,” he’d reply, his grin lighting up the room. He’d shake snow off his coat like a dog shedding water, sending damp clumps onto the rug.

Each evening, Ben would sit at the kitchen table, tallying his earnings. The notepad he used was dog-eared and smudged with ink, but he treated it like a sacred ledger.

“Only 20 more dollars, Mom,” he said one night.

“Then I can get the dollhouse and the telescope!”

His excitement made the hard work seem worth it, at least to him.

By December 23rd, Ben was a well-oiled machine of winter labor.

That morning, he left the house humming a Christmas carol. I went about my day, expecting him to return as usual, tired but triumphant.

But when the door slammed open an hour later, I knew something was wrong.

“Ben?” I called out, rushing from the kitchen.

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