I Opened My 14-Year-Old Son’s Backpack to Wash His Lunchbox – and Found an Ultrasound Image of a Baby

I stood there, the image trembling in my hands, my thoughts spiraling into places I didn’t want to go.

Was the baby his? Did he know someone who was pregnant? Had something happened that he hadn’t told me about?

I couldn’t move.

I could barely even think.

I heard the toilet flush, the sound bringing me back to the present.

“Ben!” I called, sharper than I meant to.

My son reappeared, wiping his face with his sleeve as he walked into the hallway.

“What? I know I’m late, Mom,” he said. “But I have the first period free, Mr.

Mason is away —”

He froze when he saw the ultrasound in my hand.

“Mom…”

“Why was this in your backpack? Don’t lie to me. I just need the truth, honey. I won’t be mad; I just need to understand.”

“I forgot it was in there,” he said quickly.

“I was late and —”

“Ben, is it yours?” I asked, interrupting him. “Is the baby yours?”

“What?! No.

No! It’s not mine, I swear!” he exclaimed, his face growing red, and beads of sweat forming above his upper lip.

“Then whose is it? A friend?

Ben, does someone need help?” I asked.

My son took a step back and leaned against the wall, his shoulders sagging. He looked up then — like he was looking into my soul. And in that moment, he wasn’t a teenager caught in trouble.

He was my little boy again, vulnerable and wide-eyed.

“Mom, it’s Dad’s. He told me last week.”

“What?” I gasped. “Ben, are you serious?”Continue reading…