Little kind acts you remember from your childhood.

[Geekster1963]

When I was 11 I was very shy and wouldn’t say boo to a ghost. One day I got on the school bus, went to put my bag under the seat and realised I’d left it at the bus stop. I ran down the stairs in a panic and said it the driver in a terrified voice ‘I’ve left my bag at the bus stop’. He stopped the bus looked at me kindly, smiled and said ‘I hope you can run fast’. And he let me run back and get it. I’ve never forgotten how kind he was to a scared 11 year old.

Once when I was about 10 got off the bus and without thinking tried to cross the road from the front and nearly got run over. The driver (who was probably freaked out) really shouted at me and called me stupid etc. I felt really tearful and embarrassed and a kid from my class, a boy who was a bit scary and I think probably had a difficult home life, said something to me to make me feel better. I don't remember what it was but I still remember to this day that he took the effort to make me feel better. It meant a lot to not be alone in that moment - if that makes sense.

I wasn't clear - it was a passing car that nearly ran me over and the driver of the car who shouted!

I used to take the train home from school and my parents bought me a very expensive annual train pass. I was told to protect that scrap of laminated plastic with my life or else I would be in Big Trouble. One day I got to the train station, put my hand in my blazer pocket and it wasn’t there. I was hysterical. How would I get home? My parents would kill me. A random lady gave me the money for my train fare home and it meant the world to me. I ended up finding my train pass in the lining of my blazer when I got home!

When i was a young teenager I had a pretty horrific time at school and ended up moving to a different one. That Christmas I got a Christmas card in the post from a boy from my old class. It made me feel like not everyone hated me and I've always remembered it.

I was a shy and awkward teenager, walking home from school one day a middle aged man sat on a bench started talking to me. I was uncomfortable but didn't feel able to leave as I didn't want to leave, especially as he told me I was his friend (I knew he wasn't but thought he had special needs and I didn't want to hurt his feelings). Luckily for me an older teenage girl came over and I don't think she even said anything but he stopped talking and I then felt able to leave. I was so grateful she was there and she told me to be careful who I spoke to, she was like my guardian angel that day!!

A lovely neighbour who was looking after my small aquarium while we were away, and (though I wasn’t told for a long time) scoured every pet shop for miles to find a more or less identical replacement for a fish that had died.

I had a very tough upbringing, I was abused in every way possible, my mother hated me for being female and allowed my step father to 'have an affair' with me.

I started my period really young and was screamed and shouted because of it, I told my friend because I didn't know what was happening or what a period even was.

My friend obviously told her mum who then put sanitary pads, a leaflet about periods and some chocolate in my bag every single month for years. Never mentioned it at all, but it made my shitty childhood so much easier for me.

Oh @DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult that is such a kind gesture and I'm so sorry about your childhood.

I went through a stage of being very awkward and not having many friends at school. Once, in a physics lesson, a girl I barely knew, noticed I was sitting alone and asked the teacher if she could shuffle the people on the benches around so that I could join them and not be by myself.

She was kind on other occasions and I often think of her and hope she's had a lovely life in every way.

My single mother on a 'women's wage (1950s), bought a new Bentley piano for me; going into town to the shop to pay weekly instalments for two years. When she got down to the last month, the shop owner told her she didn't need to pay any more. The shop owner was a Conservative councillor (coming from a 'Labour' family I thought of Conservatives as the enemy). Taught me that whether someone is a kind and decent person doesn't depend on their politics....a lesson repeated many times since.

I remember I think I was 10 years old

And a big thunderstorm started just as I coming out of school
I was terrified

My mum always told me that a dry storm is more dangerous!

As it was just thundering and lightning I thought oh no it's going to be bad as it's not raining.

I ran back in the school and hid in the toilets with my eyes shut and blocked my ears

A good ten minutes later a teacher found me and actually drove me home.
She was talking to me all the way. And even knocked on my mums door whilst I stayed in the car. To make sure I could quickly run in.

This teacher was very strict but she was so lovely to me
I sometimes think of her in a thunderstorm.

I have since found out that a dry storm is no more dangerous than a storm with rain.

I'm bumping this because I reckon there are more stories of kindness people can add.

A relative always used to give me a hug as a left and said if I ever needed somewhere to go I was welcome there. I always thought 'oh that's nice' but didn't give it much thought.
It wasn't until she died and I was thinking about her a lot that I realised that she knew how fucked up my home life was and that my parents were more interested in their own affairs than me.
Honestly it broke me that I hadn't got it until it was too late and I couldn't say thank you.

@DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult sorry you had such a horrible childhood. What a lovely thing your friends Mum did.

When I was about 6 we went on a school trip and my mum couldn't afford to give me any spending money. When we were in the gift shop one of the dinner ladies (who was on the trip with us) bought me a ring so I wouldn't feel left out.

When we moved to England age 5.5 my parents got me a tutor (because I had been in nursery in Italy and English DC had already been at school for nearly a year), he charged them a token fee because they couldn't afford it otherwise and always bought me an apple.

Bump

Another lovely dinner lady story. When I was at primary school we went on a day trip to a visitor attraction (was just going to say stately home but appreciate how loaded that expression is here on Mumsnet).
On getting off the coach I realised I had left my packed lunch at home, and a very kind dinner lady shared her lunch with me. I have never forgotten her or her gesture of kindness.

Not about me but my grandparents. My grandmother's nephew ran away to Australia leaving his wife with 5 kids to support with zero help. Their grandparents (my grandmother's brother) disowned their ex daughter in law and grandkids for "driving their son away", something my grandmother never forgave her brother for.

At my grandmother's funeral the youngest of the kids (26 at the time) asked to speak. he spoke about how my grandmother used to sneak into their garage when they were out and leave food in the fridge in there or randomly leave stuff on the doorstep and run away. She used to give them "backpacks" as gift for starting the new school year etc and they'd be filled to the brim with toys or school supplies. They said they never spoke about it and she never wanted thanks.

Their mum is still a close friend of the family today and all the kids are grown up and married - she attended every one of their weddings and they all insisted on dancing with her.

Bump

Such a lovely thread.

Difficult that's so utterly lovely isn't it.

Old mother Riley, I've been very down at heel a few times and help didn't come from those polishing their morality badges I can tell you.

My dB was much older than me and wasn't very pleasant, I had an extremely difficult time with my older siblings but dB one gf was utterly amazing and kind. She actually spoke to me and spent time with me.. Didn't talk at me like my siblings, she was so kind, she also inspired me in so many ways. She absolutely out classed us and esp db.
I often think of her wish she could have been my sibling.... Life would have been soo much better for the whole family.

Infact my siblings made a huge embarrassing song and dance about my period it was excruciating and she was sent in to '' talk '' to me about it. Thankfully she was there... She was so lovely.

My mum used to take me and Dsis on the train for day trips to London or the beach. We'd always take our lunch, no spare money for treats. On the train one day and older man was in our carriage listening to us witter on about what we were going to do on the beach. I don't remember if we'd mentioned treats and been told no but when he got off he pressed a fiver into my mums hand. This was back in about 1982. We had an amazing day with chips and ice cream and a go on the rides at a fair.

@oldmotherriley

My single mother on a 'women's wage (1950s), bought a new Bentley piano for me; going into town to the shop to pay weekly instalments for two years. When she got down to the last month, the shop owner told her she didn't need to pay any more. The shop owner was a Conservative councillor (coming from a 'Labour' family I thought of Conservatives as the enemy). Taught me that whether someone is a kind and decent person doesn't depend on their politics....a lesson repeated many times since.

Whilst this is a lovely thread - I can't quite understand this one about the piano? Surely the payments were fulfilled so it was just the end of the retail transaction?

Or am I missing something and there should have been another year to pay or something?

Or is it just that the final month was waivered???