Delivery Uncle, Ice Cream & Rain — A Meltdown, a Mistake, and a Moment of Empathy!

Today, something unexpectedly beautiful happened — it started with ice cream, rain, and a lesson I didn’t see coming.

It was raining and Hitarth came running to me and said, “Mumma, I want ice cream! Please order for me.”

Now, I had promised him earlier that I would get him ice cream today. So technically, he was just reminding me of it. But because it had started raining, I said, “No beta, not today. It’s raining heavily. We should think about the uncle who will have to come in this rain to deliver your ice cream.”

But you know kids — he was still stuck on it. “But Mumma, you said I will get it today, you promised me!”

I understood his disappointment, but I wanted him to think beyond just his craving. So I said,

“You are being bad and unkind. You didn’t think about the uncle who has to come in the rain just for your ice cream.”

Then he tried to reason with me, “Mumma, but the delivery uncle will come wearing a raincoat.”

I sighed and replied, “Even if he wears a raincoat, riding in heavy rain is still difficult and risky, isn’t it?”

He paused and looked at me sadly, then said again, “But you had promised.”

And that’s when I snapped a little. While placing the order, now, maybe I was tired or just not in the right mood — I reacted sharply. I said,

“Fine, take it. Ice cream is more important to you. Not the uncle.” 

His face changed. His smile disappeared. He didn’t argue or say anything.

He quietly walked into the room, lay down on the bed, and started crying — not loudly, but that soft cry which breaks a mother’s heart.

I followed him and said, “It’s okay. You’re being unkind, but at least you’ll get your ice cream.” A little sarcasm slipped into my voice, I admit.

Still crying, he said, “Mumma cancel it. I don’t want to be bad.”

His voice was trembling. I could see that he was confused and emotional. He didn’t know what was right anymore.

He started crying — not because of the ice cream, but because he felt bad. He still insisted that I cancel the order. He kept saying:
“Mumma, please cancel it. I don’t want to be bad.”

I was amazed by his strong emotional response. But I was also worried… “If I cancel the order now, what if he gets angry again?” I asked him, “You won’t be upset if I cancel?”

He said, “No, I promise. You can order it tomorrow.”

I asked again, “Pakka?” He said, “Haan, pakka.”

He was still crying, but now it was less about ice cream and more about the guilt of being unkind.

So I told him, “Okay, I’m cancelling it.”
(Though I didn’t. I pretended to cancel it.)

A few minutes later, I got a notification from the security — the delivery guy had arrived. I approved the entry.

I looked at Hitarth and asked again, “Did you really understand why we shouldn’t order in such weather?”

And he said very calmly, “Yes Mumma, I understood. Next time, I won’t ask.”

Then I took the chance to explain it to him properly:

”Beta, the uncle who comes to deliver might get sick in this weather. If he gets sick, he may need to take a day off. If he doesn’t work, he won’t earn. And just like Papa earns for our family, uncle earns for his family. What if his kids are waiting for food?”

He was listening very carefully and then asked me, “But how do you know uncle has kids? What if he’s alone?”

I smiled and said,

“Even if he’s alone, he still works for someone — maybe his parents, maybe siblings. Also, it’s not easy for anyone to work in heavy rain. That’s why we should think about others. And it’s not okay for us to risk someone’s health for things like ice cream or chips. We should only order necessary things in such situations.”

He nodded. I could see it in his eyes — he truly got the message.

Now here’s the best part…

When the order arrived, I gave Hitarth some cash and said,
“Go and give this to uncle, and say thank you nicely.”

He took the money, went to the door, and said,
“Thank you uncle, for bringing ice cream for me in the rain.”

The delivery uncle smiled, surprised and happy, and said with a big smile:
“Thank you beta.”

And then… something unexpected happened again.

Hitarth came back inside, sat quietly, and started crying again. He looked at me with guilt in his eyes and said,
“Mumma, you didn’t cancel it… that means I’m bad again? You’ll call me bad now?”

He looked heartbroken.

I hugged him tight and said, “No beta, you’re not bad at all. And I won’t call you bad because you understood everything. That’s what matters. I’m proud of you.”

Later that evening, Hitarth narrated the whole story to his dad — from the ice cream request to the lesson he learnt about thinking for others. He explained it just like I had told him, even using words like “uncle might get sick,” and “we shouldn’t make someone do something unnecessary in the rain.”

I just watched and listened quietly — my heart swelling with pride. He didn’t just learn the lesson… he remembered it, believed in it, and chose to pass it on.

That moment made me realize — kids are not just listening… they are absorbing. And when they pass the learning on, that’s when you know it’s become a part of them.

What started as just a craving for ice cream turned into a powerful parenting moment.

I don’t think I taught him something today.
I think he taught me.
He showed me how children are naturally kind… they just need space to feel and understand.

• We talked about empathy.

• We felt real emotions.

• We practiced kindness and gratitude.

• And most importantly, my child learned to think beyond himself.

As moms, we often wonder if we’re doing the right thing. We make mistakes, we feel guilty, and we second-guess our decisions. But sometimes, in these small daily moments, we end up teaching the most meaningful lessons — even without planning to.

I’m not a perfect mom. I reacted in frustration, said a few wrong words.
But kids — they forgive, they feel deeply, and they teach us things we forget as adults.

It started with a promise of ice cream.
It ended with a hug, a thank you, and a life lesson in kindness and compassion.

And that one sentence is going to stay with me forever:

“Mumma, cancel it. I don’t want to be bad.”

So to every mom reading this — next time your child asks for something small in the middle of something bigger (like rain), don’t hesitate to pause and have that conversation.
It might just leave a bigger impact than you imagined.

Have you had such a moment with your child? Where something small became something beautiful and big?
I’d love to hear your story.

With warmth,
Namita

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