A Tiffy Taffy Highlight Story: Sometimes there are tales that are just so touching and too beautiful to keep locked away. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to enjoy again. They may make you smile or shed a tear, but they’re always meant to add a little positivity to your day. Enjoy!
Sometimes, it’s the smallest acts of kindness that have the biggest impact. It doesn’t take much to help people around you out. All it takes is a simple word of encouragement or personal contact when they need it most; these make the most significant difference.
It is said that we are not born with hate and distrust in our hearts. These are concepts and behaviors that we grow to learn, often through personal experience. This is why it never fails to amaze us when we encounter stories of individuals who perform acts of kindness and are motivated to do the same.
These random acts of kindness by total strangers help restore our faith in humanity and improves our outlook for the future. However, the positive benefits of showing kindness do not end there. Experts believe that individuals who give selflessly also derive some physical and emotional benefits from the act. [1]
This means that being kind to others and acting selflessly helps make us well-rounded individuals in society. This is why parents begin teaching their children how to be kind and helpful from an early age.
Kindness for Kindness’ Sake
A random act of kindness between two Wichita elementary school boys – Connor Crites and Christian Moore – has recently gone viral when this 8-year-old gave us a lesson in compassion.
It all started on their first day of school at Minneha Elementary, where Moore saw another student crying, so he walked over, took the upset schoolmate’s hand and helped him walk into the building. [2]
What Christian didn’t know at the time was that Connor is autistic and struggles with speech. He was crying because he was overwhelmed by all the commotion on his first day in school. A picture was taken of this event by Moore’s mom who posted the image on Facebook with the following caption:
“I’m so proud of my son, he saw a kid balled up into a corner crying, so he went to console him, grabbed his hand, and walked him inside of the school! It is an honor to raise such a loving, compassionate child! He’s a kid with a Big heart, the first day of school started off right 🥰💙❤️🥰” [3]
A Far-Reaching Effect
This was not the first time that Connor had been in such a situation as his mom, April Crites told reporters in an interview with KAKE-TV in Wichita. Her son’s condition made her scared that he would become a target for other children.
“I fear every day that someone is going to laugh at him because he doesn’t speak correctly, or laugh at him because he doesn’t sit still or because he jumps up and down and flaps his hands,” says April.
When news of what Moore had done for her son reached her, she reposted the image on her Facebook page with the following comment: “This made me sad but also absolutely warmed my heart. I’m so happy a caring little boy was so kind to my baby.” [4]
In an interview with Today, April that she was not surprised that the first day of school was too much for her son as he would need some time to adjust. However, she never imagined that another student his age would step up in such a way.
“I started crying when I saw the picture. I couldn’t believe it,” April told Today. “The fact that Christian was able to be there and comfort Conner with a simple gesture, was just awesome. I’m not even able to do that!”
The attention the photo has received has managed to touch the Crites family positively as Conner gets excited anytime his classmates tell him that they saw him on TV. Anna Crites also said that her husband, who rarely cries, shed a few tears when the news of the story behind the photo reached him. [5]
Christian’s mom, Courtney Moore, also had a few things to say as she told reporters that her son’s random act of kindness marked the beginning of a friendship.
“I saw him on the ground with Conner as Conner was crying in the corner and he was consoling him,” she told KAKE-TV. “He grabs his hand and walks him to the front door. We waited until the bell rang and he walked him inside of the school. The rest is history. They have an inseparable bond.” [6]
When asked about the incident, Conner gushed about it, saying, “He was kind to me. It was in the 1st day of school and I started crying then he helped me and I was happy.”
Sometimes all it takes is for someone to be there for another person when they need help the most to make a difference in this world.
Keep Reading: With only months to live, Indiana high school senior gets married in touching ceremony
Sources
- US Marine Corps
- “First day of school photo showing 8-year-old comfort classmate with autism goes viral: ‘He helped me and I was happy’.” Fox News. Michael Hollan.
- Facebook. Courtney Coko.
- “Boy, 8, Comforts Classmate with Autism on First Day of School in Heartwarming Photo.” People. Char Adams. August 28, 2019.
- “A boy held his crying classmate’s hand on the first day of school. A photo of the moment has gone viral.” Washington Post.
- “Photo of 8-year-old Wichita boy helping classmate with autism goes viral.” Kake. August 23, 2019.
This article originally appeared on The Hearty Soul on September 2, 2019, and has been published here with permission.
