by Leon Pollock
Athens, Pennsylvania, USA
Our daughter Missy, 14, had agreed to babysit four young girls in our home while their parents went to do some shopping for groceries and other items. The four girls, ranging in age from two to six years old, were wonderful little kids and a joy to have at our home. It was cold outside, around zero degrees. As the four children entered our home, we noticed immediately that one of them was not wearing a coat. We asked the mother where her coat was and the answer we received was a shock: she said it was lost, and she didn’t have another one for her to wear.
After their mother had departed, the girls removed their boots and coats, and we discovered that one of the girls was not wearing any socks. Missy asked her where her socks were, and she said she didn’t have any. After a short while, the girls wanted to go outside to play in the snow. Missy proceeded to find socks, coats, gloves, and hats for all of them to wear, and they went outside.
An hour later, they all came inside to warm up. Missy fed them some pizza and drinks. They literally gobbled the food down. The girls commented that they had not eaten since breakfast, when they each had eaten only a fruit roll-up. We could then understand why they ate with such voracious appetites.
After a few hours, the girls’ mother returned to take them home. Missy reluctantly accepted the pay from the mother for watching the children. After the girls had departed, my daughter stood leaning against the wall for a long time with a very sad look on her face. She asked me if I would take her to the store. When we got to the department store, she led me to the children’s clothes section and picked out some socks and a winter coat for the girls. Missy had brought all of the money she had earned in the past few months from babysitting.
Once she paid for the purchases and walked out of the store, she stopped and turned to me with a tear in her eye. We embraced in the cold winter night for a long time. My daughter has done many things that I have been very proud of, but none has ever moved me more than that moment. When we got back into the car, she asked me to drive her to the house of the four girls, where we left the bag of items on the doorstep. Missy knocked on the door and got back into the car before she was noticed. We drove home in silence, each of us with tears in our eyes.
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What a wonderful story. We hear so much about teens that think only of themselves and wouldn’t dream of helping someone else. Reading about this wonderful young lady brought tears to my eyes and her parents should be proud, not only of her actions but also for the fact that they raised her right.
How wise of the letter writer, to let her daughter pay – to not help out by taking over.
There are at least 2 heroes there, maybe 3. The daughter didn’t come upon that sort of empathy out of the blue. The parent(s), clearly, have done a excellent job in culture that doesn’t make that job easy.
Being a father myself, I’ll tell you, nothing would make me prouder than to see my children respond like little Missy. Much of the credit goes to you Dad and you Mom, for instilling great values in your children. Kudos! to you and Her!!! If only there were more parents like you. The world would be a much better place. It starts at home and spreads from there.
I totally agree with the other readers’ comments about Missy and her parents, and would like to add another perspective. I have great admiration for the girls’ parents as well for fulfilling their commitments and paying for the services that they contracted Missy to provide. I have known too many people who spend lavishly and expect others to be supportive when they then claim that they can’t pay for basics. These girls have a wonderful role model in their mother as she showed them by example to be honest and honorable regardless of personal circumstances. Actually every single person in this story is a hero in my books.
I would like to have and raise a child like Missy in the future! When I was 14, all I did was play. I never did anything like that. She’s a treasure for sure. Bless her and her parents! And the family she helped too! 🙂
Perhaps one of the greatest attributes a person can have is compassion for others, to grow up recognizing how much one may have and then to have the ability, not only to notice that others are not so blessed, but to be compelled to do something about it. This is a beautiful story that could be read by persons of all ages.