This is definitely a true story! Terry was in my classes & Tommy was a couple years behind us. These boys were very quiet in school, until I got to know them. Unfortunately they never opened up & told me about their home life problems. Looking back, I sure wish I would've known more, bc my family would have helped. I remember that I saw Tommy a few years after the movie was released & he said that Terry was too afraid to let anyone know that their dad wasn't ever home. That's why there wasn't ever an investigation, bc once their mom died their legal guardian was automatically their father. I'm unsure why the movie says they went to Forsyth County schools, bc I'm positive that they actually went to Hall County schools in Gainesville Georgia.

A Son's Promise is one of those made for television films that seems to have gotten lost over time. It has been recently made available. Ricky Schroder stars as a teenager who must support his family after his mom dies and his father splits. A man decides to help the family but his true motives are soon revealed. There are a lot of familiar faces in the cast including a young Stephen Dorff, Veronica Cartwright, Boyd Gaines and Benji Wilhoite, who horror fans will recognize from Sleepaway Camp II. This is based on a true story and is often depressing due to the constant hardships faced by the family. When one good thing happens, a million bad ones follow. Overall, it's not a great movie, but it's decent for what it is.