The kids and I visited the library today to kill time before the boys' doctor appts, they each chose 3 books WAY quicker than I thought. When we were loading up into the car, we noticed a star shaped American flag mylar balloon flying up into the air, and a woman watching it fly away. Then, as we were pulling out of the lot, she was walking into the library with a little boy (maybe 4) who was crying. So sad.
I thought, we have time. And $1. So off we went to buy a replacement. They didn't have his star balloon, so we found a yellow happy face one, fitting for our plan. We rushed back, tied it to his door, and parked close enough to watch, but far enough that they wouldn't see us. We predicted their reactions while we waited.
Finally, they appeared. Mom, older daughter and son. Skipping across the parking lot on a nice sunny day. He'd probably totally forgotten his lost balloon. Mom sees it, but boy skips past the car without noticing. Mom and sister call him back and point it out. He comes back, stops in his tracks. Mom looks around. She seems surprised and confused. And we blew that popsicle stand!
I figure it probably made the kid's hour. Maybe mom's day. But being able to teach my kids to act kindly without needing recognition for sure made my day.
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9 years ago
