Birthdays are supposed to be fun, especially when you’re a kid. But one boy’s birthday was a major disappointment. He realized this wasn’t going to be a great day because everyone had seemingly forgotten it was his birthday. Even his own mom had managed to fail him miserably! As if that weren’t bad enough, policed showed up at his school to apprehend him. But then, out of nowhere, things took an interesting twist.
The first thing Tom did when he woke up was to rush downstairs. He expected to find people waiting to shout surprise. But there was no one. Even his mom had seemingly forgotten his birthday, yet again. This was tough on him. The day was still young, and he hoped that she would still find a way to surprise him. Tom didn’t realize that his day was about to get even tougher.
As they got to Howes Elementary, Tom reminded his mom that it was his birthday. But she didn’t seem bothered by the fact that she had forgotten all about it. Tom got excited when she told him that there was a big surprise waiting for him later on that day. His mom assured him that he was having a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party, and all of his friends were invited! Then she gave him a bag of candy and told him to have a nice at school. But Tom had no idea that his party at Chuck E. Cheese wouldn’t happen, and it was his mom’s fault.
Tom’s mother wasn’t perfect. She had gotten into some trouble with the law a couple of times. A few months earlier, cops had knocked on their door to question her. It turns out that Tom’s mother had been behind bars not once, but several times. This was tough on him, particularly because they didn’t have a lot of other family members to turn to. At the moment, his mom was out on parole, but she wouldn’t be for very long.
When the final bell rang, Tom ran out of the classroom to meet up with his friends. He asked them if they were excited about his Chuck E. Cheese party. But no one had a clue about his birthday party. However, Tom wasn’t discouraged. He knew his mom would save the day! So, he went to the usual spot where he waited for his mom to pick him up. Eventually, he was the only kid left.
A teacher saw that Tom was all alone, so she went to check up on him. He told her that his mom was supposed to pick him. But she never arrived. Twenty minutes had passed since the school day ended. The waiting area was virtually deserted, except for him and his teacher. When his teacher gave Tom’s mother a call to see why she was late, someone other than the boy’s mother answered her.
Unfortunately, Tom’s mother had chosen that particular day to act out. When the school discovered what had happened, they were stunned. This poor kid was all alone, waiting for his mother, who would never come. Since Tom’s mom had violated her parole, she was taken into custody that afternoon. But Tom’s teacher had a great idea.
The teacher took Tom to the school’s reception office. He happily told the receptionist about his birthday. He also told her how excited he was to go to Chuck E. Cheese with his mom. Unfortunately, the teacher didn’t know how to break the bad news to him. She decided to search his files in order to find an emergency contact person. But that proved to be a lot more difficult than she had originally anticipated.
Tom’s file was a mess, and no matter what she did, Tom’s teacher couldn’t find a single individual to come get him. It turns out that his mother had put down her personal contact information on the form, but failed to include someone else. At this point, the teacher wasn’t sure who to turn to. Eventually, she realized she had no choice but to do the last thing she wanted to do.
The teacher called the cops. “What a terrible thing to do on your birthday,” she thought to herself. But Tom needed someone to pick him up. Officer Darryl Robinson eventually arrived at the school, and he immediately knew who Tom was because he had dealt with his mother in the past. But when Tom saw Robinson, he was shocked. He couldn’t be in trouble, could he? After all, it was his birthday! Then, Officer Robinson did the unimaginable.
Robinson knew Tom’s grandfather. So, he gave him a call as soon as he learned that it was the boy’s birthday. Robinson asked him for permission to take Tom on a ride-along. He promised to drive him home as soon as he was done. Tom’s grandfather happily agreed. So, Tom ran over to the cop car and prepared to have the best adventure ever! But this wasn’t the end of his birthday surprise.
When interviewed, Officer Robinson said, “He had to sit in the back, but he seemed to love it.” Tom felt like a champ because this was his first time riding in a cop car. None of his other friends could claim they rode in one for their birthday. Robinson’s heart sank when Tom told him about his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. Then the officer came up with a solution on the spot, and all he needed was a simple voucher.
Green Bay cops are given a cheeseburger voucher from the local McDonalds. Fortunately, Officer Robinson still had his, which he pulled from his wallet. This wasn’t a problem because Tom told him he was hungry. So, off they went to McDonald’s. Officer Robinson watched with happiness as Tom inhaled his burger. H knew that this couldn’t be it for the child, at least, not on his birthday. So, he took him to his next destination.
Officer Robinson drove Tom to the police station. The child was mesmerized by all the cool stuff he saw in there. Officers had also come up with a birthday present on the spot. They presented Tom with a couple of stick-on tattoos and some Green Bay Packers cards. Although the gifts weren’t too expensive, Tom was extremely grateful for the gifts they got him. But eventually, it was time to take Tom home.
Tom’s day may have started out rough, but it became one of the most unforgettable birthdays of his young life. And he had Officer Robinson to thank for this. The story went viral shortly after it was shared. One woman asked Robinson if she could stop by the station and deliver a couple of presents for him. “If I can have the impact [my police captain] did for me, and he could choose a career in law enforcement and keep this cycle going, I think it would be great.”