Press "Enter" to skip to content

Teen Mows Lawns So That His Stepfather Can Adopt Him and His Brother. “He’s Always Been There for Us”

A 14-year-old boy started a lawn care company to pay for the adoption of his brother and himself by their stepfather, not to purchase a bike or other item.

Eric Jenkins, Tyce Pender’s stepfather, started dating his mother Marcy in 2010 and proposed to her four years later. Tyce struggles to envisage a world without Eric. He said to TODAY, “Since the age of 2, he has served as a father figure for me. He has always been there for us and assists me with my homework and other needs.”

Eric and Marcy debated adopting Tyce and his brother Tylee two years after their wedding. They got in touch with a lawyer who had agreed to take the case on the honor system. Despite this, the family’s further anticipated legal costs would total several thousand dollars. The boys and their stepsister Tierrianna, 14, want their parents to formally adopt them, nevertheless.

Added Tyce “Eric teaches me respect, independence, and what a man should be, therefore this is significant. Eric is the person I would want to live with if anything were to happen to my mother.” He went on, “Court costs are high. I believed that I could earn enough money to cover the adoption costs.”

Tyce remembers how his brother Jayden, now age 21, used to mow lawns to make money in the summer. I used to cut grass with my oldest brother, so I figured I could just trim grasses, he said to WLTX. To start his firm, he asked his mum for a small business loan.

Last month, Marcy gave him a $192 battery-operated lawnmower. When he asked the community on Facebook whether anyone needed lawn mowing services, he got over 100 replies. In the post, he added: “I attend school during the week, however on Saturdays and Sundays, I am accessible certain afternoons and entire day. I also have a rake and an electric leaf blower. I want to turn this into a business so I can run my own enterprise, but I’m not bonded yet.”

In order to wait for Tyce to finish, Marcy drove him to his first client, Sarah Larrabee’s home. Tyce remembered, “I felt a little threatened at first. However, her yard wasn’t that large.” His mother was really pleased of him for doing the task in an hour. The young man was “such a sweet child, so courteous and just so pleased to be there and excited to have his first job, and it was just so sweet,” the source reported.

The teen had cut approximately 16 yards. Tyce does not have a set price list and instead prefers to work out a fair price with customers. He worked weekends and after school, earning $400. Tyce claims he intends to continue operating his lawn care company until he completes high school, and he anticipates earning enough money for a particular purpose during that period. The City Of Cayce recently issued him a business license. With a photo of his family, he posted the news on Facebook.

Marcy : “I’m delighted he decided to try it, and even if he doesn’t actually succeed, it’s still good for him. We are quite happy of Tyce, who tries very hard and has a ton of objectives.” Eric, who also voiced his admiration for Tyce, said: “My duty is to take care of Tyce. He has the proper intentions in mind.” According to Eric, Marcy and he will cover most of the adoption costs.