Krystal Preston thought her 13-year-old son was playing a joke when he said he bought her a car. The single mom of three burst into tears when she realized it was actually true.
Her hard-working son traded his Xbox and did yard work to buy his struggling mom a 1999 Chevrolet Metro.
"I lost it. I started bawling,” the Nevada mom said.
Her son William assured her, "It’s OK.”
Preston told TODAY Parents she felt “proud, excited, overwhelmed, shocked, inspired, moved, heartwarming—every loving word in the dictionary you could possibly give."
“I’m so proud of my son. He is such a good kid,” Preston wrote in a Facebook post about her son’s gift along with photos of him next to her new car (which he offered to vacuum as soon as they drove it home). The social media post has been shared more than 2,000 times.
Preston is newly single and struggling to find work. "We're trying to adjust and start over," she said, adding that she's "stressed out trying to find a job, trying to find a vehicle and make ends meet."
And while she was surprised by William's selfless gesture, it's not out of character for him.
"It’s natural for him. He just wants to help. To him, it’s not a big deal,” Preston said.
In 2017, Preston said William was recognized for his community cleanup work, including helping mow a senior citizen’s lawn. Preston remembered how the weeds were as tall as William when he started working on the neighbor's yard. "He mowed it down and it looks super nice and he does that for anyone he can,” Preston said. She shared that William finds broken lawnmowers and fixes them and uses them.
After Preston's March 23 Facebook post, the Internet has fallen in love with William's kind heart.
“There are people writing him from Germany, from London, everywhere, it’s crazy,” Preston said.
“He is an amazing kid!” one person wrote on the social media post.
“Wow nice one kiddo,” another online user wrote.
William is a little baffled by the attention. "You're my mom," he told Preston. "I wanted to help."
“Your kids are supposed to take care of you when you’re super super old,” Preston said, “not when they’re 13.”