This is one of the most heart wrenching stories of Superman I have ever read. I guess at some level the trauma he goes through in the alt-universe of seeing his parents die at age 10, especially in some incarnations of his being bounced around between foster homes, is pretty bad.
Still, having never been loved, being illiterate, only being served lukewarm, tasteless food at best, treated constantly and completely as an alien as we have seen is the worst.
Jonathan and Martha did very well at getting him to trust them so far.
On the report to the sherrif, I don't think Jonathan really had a choice. He probably was a few states away at the Bureau 39 place, but its not like Jonathan and Martha could keep a 12-year-old child just showing up out of nowhere secret. Even if they home schooled him people would notice eventually.
