A six-year-old girl got a private lesson in skateboarding, while her mother got a lesson in not judging others.
Jeanean Thomas was thrown for a loop the day she took her daughter to the skate park in Hamilton, Ontario for the first time. They were both a bit intimidated by the group of older boys smoking and cursing nearby, but Jeanean pushed Peyton to go ahead and try her board.
After a few awkward tries, and the other skateboarders zipping past her, one of them approached the girl.
CHECK OUT: “Are you Serious?” Teens Buy 150 Burgers to Hand Out To Homeless
Expecting him to give Peyton a hard time, Jeanean controlled her urge to jump in. Within minutes, the boy was giving Peyton all the pointers she needed for a great ride.
An hour later, the little girl was showing off all kinds of new skateboard skills.
The mother never got the boy’s name, but the experience so moved her, she finally wrote an open letter to the local newspaper, to thank him.
WATCH: High School Boy Invents Solution For Paraplegic Mom To Use Baby Stroller
She wrote about misjudging the skaters at first, and how her daughter wanted to leave rather than try riding on the same course.
“I secretly wanted to go too because I didn’t want to have to put on my mom voice and exchange words with you,” Jeanean wrote in the Hamilton Spectator.
Then she talked about how the skater was patient, helping Peyton up when she fell, giving her pointers on where to set her feet, and keeping her away from dangerous parts of the course where she wasn’t ready to skate.
WATCH: Team Won’t Let Him Face Cancer Alone: Watch What These Teens Do
“I am proud that you are part of my community, and I want to thank you for being kind to my daughter, even though your friends made fun of you for it,” Jeaneane wrote. “She left the skate park with a sense of pride and with the confidence that she can do anything–because of you.”
The Cambridge Times later learned the helpful “boy” was actually 20-year-old Ryan Carney who brushed off all the fuss made over his actions.
This #Cbridge skateboarder doesn't understand what all the fuss is about
https://t.co/7zSKvNuGpb pic.twitter.com/8NV6QDiaAI
— Cambridge Times (@cambridgetimes) October 22, 2015
“When you put a smile on someone else’s face, it’s infectious,” Carney told the Times. “If you do something nice for someone, something nice will happen to you.”
Give Your Friends A Lesson in Inspiration, Share This Story… (Photo: Jeanean Thomas)