A teen wants to be adopted by his stepfather and has set up a business that will help with the legal costs.
Born and raised in Sandy Run, South Carolina, 14-year-old Tyce Rey Diaz Pender has lived in Cayce with his family since 2017. His mother, Marcy, began dating Eric Jenkins in 2010 when Tyce was just 2 years old. Marcy was proposed to by Eric four years later. They have been close-knit ever since.
” I don’t remember the first time we met,” Tyce said to The Epoch Times. I just recall him being there with me, at my third birthday party. He was tall !”
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Tyce has an older brother, Tylee. He also has a stepsister, Tierrianna. He said, “When I think about the word ‘dad’ I imagine him.”
Over the years Tyce and Eric have formed an extraordinary bond.
” When I was younger, Eric worked while my mother was at college. So Tyce described him as the “stay at home parent”. He was always there to take us to school and to have lunch. Eric was a constant in my life .”
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Eric played an important role in supporting the family.
“Occasionally my mom has to go to the hospital,” Tyce stated. Eric makes sure our lives continue as normal .”
Eric was also a source of some Tyce’s most fond childhood memories. This included family camping trips during the summertime.
” It was always fun and hilarious, especially since Eric does not like swimming much,” Tyce said. He would do it even though it was “out of his comfort,” my mother said. ‘”
According to Today, two years after Marcy and Eric got married, they discussed adopting Tyce and Tylee and even tried recently to hire a lawyer who would handle a pro bono. However, the legal fees were increasing. Tyce agreed to pay the bill.
Marcy gave her son a mower, and she offered to drive him around town.
” We put our mower and weedeater in the car so that I can vacuum more,” The Epoch Times teen said.
After kick-starting his new venture, the teen took to Facebook to explain more about it: “I do have safety glasses and gloves and I am hoping to find some yards to cut and maybe even maintain them. I work during the week, and am usually available on weekends and Saturdays. A rake and an electric leaf blower are also available .”
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According to Tyce Eric assists on weekends that the workload is more heavy. This is something Tyce enjoys.
The teen earns $25 to $50 per job, mows some lawns for free, and credits Eric, a machinist, for his drive.
He explained that he taught him there was a time to play and work and it is not always the same. He taught me my work ethic, which I believe I took from him. I want to be a proud mom .”
Tyce hires mainly by word-of-mouth, but has also made flyers and business cards for customers that allow him to make pitches. He has mowed over 40 yards to date, and the cause remains dear to his heart.
The industrious teen turns 15 this August and is headed into the 10th grade. The city of Cayce presented him with his own business license in June; he’s still mowing lawns, on a driving lawn mower, improving with every commission.
His approach to the problem of which direction to mow has been “to start cutting outside, then [then] cut the rest .”
Being a witness to Tyce’s efforts, a proud Marcy said: “It’s a powerful thing that Tyce wants to give this recognition [to his stepfather].
Eric said: “Caring about Tyce is our job. He has his heart in the right place .”
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