My Son Begged Me Not to Take Him to Daycare — Until I Found Out the Horrifying Reason

“No, mommy, no!” Johnny screamed as he threw himself to the floor.

Marla Evans glanced at her watch. If her son had another full-blown tantrum, she’d be late for work—again.

Johnny had been going to daycare for two years and had always enjoyed it. But something had changed. For the past week, he had been crying and begging not to go.

Concerned, Marla spoke to their pediatrician, who explained that this could be part of the “terrible threes.” But on this particular morning, when Marla saw the fear in her son’s eyes, she knew something was truly wrong.

She knelt beside him and gently pulled him into her lap. Johnny clung to her, crying softly.

— “Why don’t you like daycare anymore?” she asked. “Are the other kids being mean to you?”
Johnny didn’t say a word.

Marla sighed and whispered, “Honey, mommy has to go to work, but I’ll tell you what… I’ll pick you up early today, okay?”

Johnny suddenly looked up.
— “No lunch?” he asked nervously. “No lunch, mommy?”

Lunch? That question worried her. What was happening during mealtime?

At work, she asked her boss for the afternoon off to handle a personal matter. Thankfully, her boss, also a mother, understood right away.

Instead of picking Johnny up early, Marla decided to drop in during lunch to see for herself.

When she arrived at the daycare and peeked into the dining area, she saw the kids sitting at their tables, eating. She quickly spotted Johnny—and a woman she didn’t recognize sitting beside him.

Then, Marla witnessed something shocking.

The woman grabbed Johnny’s spoon, scooped up mashed potatoes, and pressed it against his lips.
— “Eat!” she snapped.

Johnny shook his head, lips tightly closed, tears streaming down his face.

— “Open your mouth and eat!” she ordered again.

Johnny, clearly distressed, opened his mouth to protest. In that moment, the woman shoved the spoon in. He choked and spat.

That was enough.

Marla pushed the door open and stormed in.

— “Get away from my son!” she shouted.

Trying to stay composed, Marla said firmly,
— “Can’t you see he’s had enough? Johnny is a healthy boy, but he’s never been a big eater. As a caregiver, you should know how traumatic force-feeding can be.”

— “Shoving food into a child’s mouth like that is absolutely unacceptable! These children are not puppets for you to control!”

The staff member flushed bright red and stood up.
— “I didn’t mean—” she began.

— “If this happens again,” Marla warned, “I’ll make sure you lose your job. I won’t send my child here to be mistreated!”

That evening, Marla had a long talk with Johnny. The next morning, there were no tears.

For the following two weeks, Marla dropped in unannounced during lunch. That staff member never forced Johnny to eat again—and soon, he was back to being cheerful and excited to go to daycare.