Kids Today
Kids today can be cruel. Many kids will find something about their classmates to pick on them endlessly about. For some children, this kind of bullying can be traumatizing. When people hear stories about a child being bullied, it isn’t all that surprising. This is why it is wonderful to hear stories about children being kind to one another.
The First Day Of School
A child’s first day of school can be scary. This is especially true if the student is starting at a new school. They don’t know who their classmates will be, who they will have for a teacher, and how to find their way around the school. Even getting to and from school can be troubling. Most kids take the bus to school. This means that they won’t know who to sit with and even what bus to get on. This is how Alex Furlong felt on his first day of school.
The School Bus
At the end of the day, the students a Holy Family Catholic school in Liverpool, England got on the bus. Tom O’Brien is a 15-year-old student; therefore, it wasn’t his first day on the bus. He got on the bus with his two friends, Harry Campbell, and Dylan Robson. Tom remembered what it was like when he was 11-years-old and just starting at Holy Family, he asked the younger kids how their first day was. Most of the children said they had a good day. When Tom looked toward the back of the bus, he saw Alex sitting there, crying.
Helping Hand
When Tom and his friends saw Alex crying in the back of the bus, they moved their seats so that they could talk to him. Tom asked Alex what was wrong. Alex told him that he accidentally got on the wrong bus at the school and it was driving him further and further from his home. He told Tom that he didn’t know how he was going to get back to his house. Tom knew that he had to do something to help Alex. 11-year-old teen sees little boy sobbing at the back of the bus – finds out the truth then hands over his cash.
Getting Off the Bus
Tom, Alex, and the other two boys all got off the bus at the next stop. Alex wasn’t sure why because he was still very far from home. Tom went into his pocket and took out $10. Next, he hailed a cab. He asked the cab driver to take Alex home, and he gave him the money.
Heading Home
Alex felt so much better when he was finally on his way home. During the drive, he told the cab driver about what happened. He explained that Tom was the one who gave him the money for the ride. Tom’s gesture so touched the cab driver that after bringing Alex home, he went to the school. He explained to the secretary what happened and told her that he couldn’t take Tom’s money. He asked her to return the money to him and to let him know that there was no charge for the cab.
Alex’s Mom
When Alex got home, he told his mother, Ruth, about what happened on the bus. She couldn’t believe that an older boy that her son didn’t even know would go out of his way to help. She was so impressed that she posted the story on Facebook. At the end of her post, Ruth wrote, “All I know is his name is Tom, and he’s a year 11 pupil at Holy Family. If anyone knows him or his parents, let them know what a lovely lad they’ve raised! Faith in humanity is restored a little today.” It wasn’t long before the post went viral. People were so impressed by Tom’s actions that they were commenting on the post and liking it. The post had been shared thousands of times. What Tom did for Alex isn’t something that you would expect from most teenagers.
Tom’s Sister
While Ruth’s post was being shared, again and again, someone who knew what happened tagged Tom’s sister. She was so proud of her brother that she added a comment in Ruth’s post letting everyone know that the kind boy was her brother Tom and that their whole family was proud. In her comment, she wrote, “Ahhh everyone it was my little brother. I’ve just been tagged in this by a friend of mine who’s seen this status. We are so proud of Tom, and it’s so lovely to know he’s a good lad in the outside world.” Since most kids act differently at home than they do when they are out with their friends, it was a huge relief to Tom’s family that even when they weren’t around, he was a kind and thoughtful person.
