Random Act of Kindness - to balance all the ranty threads, tell me of a random act of kindness that you have never forgotten.

When my 2nd dd was born my 2 year old dd1 was quite jealous ad had a huge tantrum when it was time to leave the park. I had to carry her out screaming and a man looked at me and laughed and made some comment. It was just nice that he seemed to be sympathising rather than doing a car bum mouth.

When I was heavily pregnant with dd1 i got onto a packed train. (Previous train had been cancelled.) I was standing near the door and a man asked if i was pregnant and when i said i was he said "Right." and ordered some poor chap to get up for me. I thanked thenm both and sat down sheepishly. It was mildly embarrassing but very kind! :o

When I was in sixth form some friends were involved in a very bad car accident, including my best friend, and I went to the hospital to see them. I didnt have any change and was dithering about what to do, and a kind older chap paid for something like 8 hours parking for me.

Also when my siblings and I were little and we had gone to France with my mum to visit her sister. She'd kept driving despite it getting late and we were in the middle of the French countryside not near any towns or places likely to have BnBs. In desperation, my mum knocked on a farmhouse to see if they could point her anywhere. They insisted on putting us all up for the night and gave us a wonderful breakfast and tour of the farm which I remember now. They wouldnt take a franc from my mum.

When DD was about 2 weeks old, and I was recovering from an EMCS, we'd shuffled to the post office to post a letter, and the post office was full. We were in a long queue and I wasnt fantastic at manouvering her pram (still not great now!). DD started to cry and that always panicked me in the early days, and to make matters worse I was in a plain top which demonstrated all too clearly the physical reaction I had to DD's crying. The chap in front of me calmly cleared the queue, steered us to the front, and made everyone move agan so we could get out of the door. Of course that could have been his embarassment, but it was very kind as I was close to bursting into tears.

What a lovely thread.

Love R2PP post!!! Live near Croydon too can picture it sooo clearly...

The lovely lady who produced a packet of biscuits for DD when she was little and whinging on a bus.

The teen who held back all of her friends from running across the road 'because we have to set the little girl (DD who was holding my hand) a good example and wait for the green man'

The lady who gave DD a little bunch of redcurrants every market day when we lived abroad. DD went through a stage of munching buckets of them and I couldn't afford them one week. When we walked past her stall she came running after me with a bunch in her hand and presented it to DD and waved her hands at me when I tried to pay her. We were living abroad and I was so lonely and grateful for her noticing DD.

And a group of terrifying Croydon teenagers who I thought were going to mug me (lots of gold earrings, baggy trousers and slicked back ponytails) when they hopped off their bench and walked towards me one dark night, but instead carried the pushchair down an entire flight of stairs at a train station, before waiting for me at the other end to help me carry it up again. They put their cigarettes out first and one of the blokes was told 'to stop bloody swearing in front of the baby, you twat'

I've been totally reliant on the kindness of strangers when travelling, but the one that sticks in my mind is the time I came down with altitude sickness on a train in China. I'd got up to go to the loo and on the way back to my cabin suddenly became so dizzy that I went completely blind and lost the ability to walk. All I could do was just stand there, clinging to the wall in the corridor. I was travelling totally alone and started to panic, when a lovely Chinese man found me. He guided me to an empty bunk where I could sit down, called the train guards, and woke up his friend (this was at about 3am) who spoke a few words of English to try and translate what the guards were saying. He came by to see me again the next morning to check that I was OK and to give me his address in case I ever wanted to visit him. I'll never forget it.

A few eyars ago someone came to the house to scream at me (understandably) that asd ds2 had threatened his son at school.

I apologised and explained about his SN.

Their son is in ds2's class and most weeks their son turns up to take ds2 out with their family for a break and bike ride that we struggle to give him.

matters massive amounts and I am so grateful.

The aldy on our camping trip this year who took my boys off for 2 hours one evening- just 100m away but the first child free 2 hours without an important appt or anything that we've ahd in a good year (ds1 non sleeper)

When I filled my car with petrol and then realised I had left wallet at home and the man behind counter was being really mean... a black cabby offered to pay for me and said I could put money in his paypal account!!!

When I was in America on a choir tour, my friend and I had our wallets stolen from a church. It was the first day so all our money was in there, $300 each, train tickets to get home, subway tickets to get to where we were staying etc etc.

We were both in tears, I had literally no money having maxed my overdraft to go on the trip, and no way of getting money anyway.

The lovely members of the congregation kept coming up to us and giving us money, from $10 to $100! When we added it up, we'd been given nearly as much as was stolen! We were able to survive the next 10 days thanks to their generosity, though we were careful about spending as it didn't feel like "our" money.

When I got home I gave what was left to charity, and hope I can "pass it on" in the future. Those lovely people made a nightmare trip into a lovely trip.

The lady who appeared beside me on my walk home one night when it had been snowing hard and said "I see you walk passed my house everyday and I know you are pregnant (was about 36wks) and I want to walk with you tonight to make sure you are ok"

Not me, but on crowded tube stuck in a tunnel somebody was sick, you've never seen so much space appear in a crowded tube, but once everyone had backed up a bit a carrier bag, bottle of water, tissues and a little hand held fan all emerged from bags and pockets for the poor sick person.

The entire campsite of people who rushed to DH and mine's aid when our windtunnel style tent took off while we were trying to put it up in a gale!

On way to dentist with dds, already having dreadful morning, got there to realise had no change for parking meter. Asked a man passing if he had change, he didn't, so was facing long walk to nearest shops to get change, reluctant dc in tow, which probably would have meant we got a ticket anyway and we'd have been monumentally late for dentist. Man passing came back and paid my parking. It was only about 40p but frankly it made my day

The couple who stopped when a wheel came off our car (and went hurtling down a hill into their car) and not only took me home to the babysitter while DH waited for the AA, but also refused to take any money for the scratches to their car. We sent them wine .

Years ago on a campsite my tent pole snapped and tent collapsed. I went and bought a new tent, came back and got it half up to find it was broken.

Nice man tried to help but realised it was knackered and rang the tent sales people up for me and told them to come out to the campsite with another tent and put it up for me which they did. He then invited me to dinner with his family as I'd lost the plot by then.

I would have been asked to leave the train, obviously not bleeding conductor

In the days when we used to use travellers cheques to take money abroad, I was travelling through Europe with a pal, got separated in Avignon when we missed a rendezvous to catch a train together because I was late.

I hopped on a train with my interail pass to meet her at the next youth hostel on our itinerary as per our agreement if this happened, but I got caught out by there being a payable supplement on that route. I had literally only a few francs on me silly irresponsible teenager other than travellers cheques that I couldn't cash, it being a Sunday and no banks or exchanges open. The conductor would have been asked to leave the train at the next stop but a lovely couple paid it for me, and on arrival at the station, rang their 18 year old daughter to come to pick me up drive me to meet my friend in the youth hostel.

Not only that but they insisted on buying me a meal in the restaurant car, and the daughter wouldn't accept repayment for the meal or supplement when I met my friend. She said her dad had told her to refuse, and would like to think that someone would help his daughters if they were ever similarly so stupid stuck.

Am reading with pleasure. Lovely thread.

I was once flying back from Dubai on my own and DD was about 6 months. It was a night flight and she fell apart completely, noisy sobbing, full on. I wanted to join her, then these lovely guys I was sitting next to decided they would walk her up and down the plane for me, and got the steward to make me a cup of tea, made sure I drank it. She fell asleep in this man's arms and then slept on me for the rest of the flight.

Just gave myself goosebumps at the memory of their kindness, esp when they could have been so arsy.

A few years ago DH and I took my younger student Dsis to Heathrow where she was flying to China to spend Xmas with my parents out there. Her luggage was 4 kilos overweight with all the presents/ revision books etc and check-in staff said it was £100 in excess. DH and I were saving to get married and just couldn't afford it so we went to the airport coffee place to unload the presents and I said to Dsis I would just ship them out another time, although they wouldn't get there for Xmas. Two lovely older ladies at the next table overheard and offered to pay the money for us as they thought it was so sad there wouldn't be any presents at Xmas for my family. I was so shocked that somebody would be so kind. It was so much money so of course we said thanks but no thanks, we couldn't accept. I was so touched that they would make an offer like that.
We then went back to check Dsis in, and the (different) check-in girl on seeing what we had taken out to lighten the case, just told us to put it back in and she would just put it through anyway. So grateful for the thoughtfulness

ArtVandalay, couldn't you have just told us you went on to marry the handsome stranger on the tube?

The two lovely ladies who got a book and rugby ball signed for DH and DS by Jonny Wilkinson last year. We'd been queing for nearly three hours on a cold Friday evening outside Twickenham Stadium and DS(3) was understandably getting tired and crotchety having been an absolute star for ages. I had to admit defeat and as I was leaving the queue they offered to get our stuff signed as well. I picked it all up a couple of days later from one of the ladies and gave her some flowers as a thank you but I never got to thank the other lady properly. They ended up queing until nearly 1.30 in the morning!! Great presents for DS and DH, gutted I didn't get to meet Jonny !

The lovely old gentlemen who bought DS a drink at Painshill Park when we were waiting to meet Santa Claus. I'd got caught short with no change on me and DS was having a meltdown...... The gentlemen even looked a bit like Santa off duty with twinkly eyes, beard and a tweed jacket!

I was once on a packed tube train when a toddler started whining in her mother's lap saying she was bored and hot. She was on a verge of a tantrum when a man who was sat next to them (clearly a stranger), took out a toy and a children's book from his bag and started reading a story to the little girl. Her face lit up and she quietly played with the toy as he read. It was lovely :).

Lots and lots here, too :)

After another storming row with X1, I went to walk off my anger on Clapham Common. It was raining hard, about 3am, and I was charging along crying buckets. A black cab stopped, offered me a lift home and threw in a very calming chat. London cabbies have 'rescued' me a few times, free of charge. Most of them are really top geezers.

I left home under distressed circumstances and headed off to the Channel ferry (RIP) by myself, with an absurdly large suitcase. I messed up every single connection, but the same nice man kept turning up to help me find out where I was supposed to be and carried my suitcase! No idea who he was, but he must have put himself out quite a bit.

Lovely people - customers and staff - have often given me small amounts of money when I found I hadn't enough for my shopping. I used to do this, too, and am hugely touched by so many other people doing it for me now I need it.

Somebody posted my lost purse back to me. The cash had gone, but everything else was intact. I thought it was kind of them to realise I'd be missing my appointment cards, season ticket and so on - was very glad to see it again!

I could write a whole thread about random acts of kindness, all by myself
The vast majority of people are nice. I think those who refuse to believe it (and to pay it forward) are missing out on the best parts of life.

what a lovely thread.

i am horribly sleep deprived atm and having one of those days where everything feels like a dark, joyless slog. was sitting in the library cafe earlier having lunch with 3yo and 6mo, thinking crap thoughts about my mothering skills (v snappy today ). an old man came over and told me how well behaved and handsome my children were. it brightened my day no end, and i told him so :)

Had to use DH's ratty old car one morning because he had taken mine. I was on the way to drop DS2 and DS at CMs before taking DS1 to school and then drive to work. Ratty old car broke down on the dual carriageway in heavy traffic and pouring rain. No mobile. Had just gathered all the kids together incl DS2 (babe in arms) to struggle to Morrisons to use phone to call breakdown people, when such a kind man and his daughter stopped and asked if we needed help. He towed us to CMs. I managed to call breakdown people who came and took me to the garage to get car fixed - left kids at CMs for the day. Above and beyond IMO.

Lots of other incidents. More good than bad. Which has made me offer help to total strangers in my turn. Life is so much easier that way.

On our honeymoon in Cyprus we met a woman who had gone on holiday with her small daughter, having just split up with her husband. We tended to have drinks with her in the evening etc because everyone else in the hotel was elderly (it was February) and she was the only person near to our ages.
One evening we all walked into the town centre to go for a drink, and on the way back the lady's daughter got very tired. My (now ex-) H picked her up and carried her while we looked out for a taxi as we walked (it was a fair way back to the hotel). A young local couple pulled up and asked us if we wanted a lift. We debated, but figured we were safe enough as 3 adults. So we asked them how much they wanted. They said 'nothing', and took us all the way to our hotel. Even when we tried to pay them, they wouldn't let us and just wished us a lovely holiday and drove away.

I used to live in the Far East and used to get a bit uncomfortable by the way all the men at the hawker stand at the end of my road would watch me walk up the road, pass them and head along the road to my apartment block.

Until one evening a man followed me home. I asked him to go away and then ignored him as he continued following me. As I neared home I wondered whether to head off and go to a nearby hotel for a bit but suddenly all of the men at the hawker stand stood up. The man bothering me paused and when they started walking towards us he ran. I smiled at them as I passed them and they all nodded their heads and smiled back.

All along they had been watching out for the young woman who lived alone.

The lovely guy who jumped out of his car when I was involved in a crash in the fast lane of the motorway who shouted stay in your car, no one is hurt get on the hard shoulder. He then followed all the cars onto the hard shoulder helped us all swap details etc then went on his way. We were all so shocked I don't think we could have managed without him. He felt like a guardian angel.

The lovely family who drove us home (miles out of their way) when our car broke down on a major holiday and we couldn't get a taxi for love nor money, my DH did the same for a lady weeks later.

Pay it forward