There are kind people in the world.

[Jackthementalkitten]

I went too Tesco earlier, I only took £20 with me ( stupidly forgot my card) I’d worked out that the bill was around £19, went too pay was £23. I was stood with my daughter feeling absolutely bloody mortified, telling the cashier too take some items out. A lady at the next till walked past, out s giver in my hand and told me to buy myself all the shopping. I’ve never been so grateful in my life at this kindness. I managed to shout thank you so much. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s given me faith in people again. Has anyone else ever had a stranger be kind too then?

Not really as I have had this happen to me before and I just go to the self check out, then if it comes to more I would called the person over and say sorry kids picked it up by mistake, that way you can see how much it’s coming to as you scan rather than getting a surprise at the end!

@TurnUpTurnip

I understand, I’m saying kids don’t! And if I’m teaching my kids not to do something I will lead by example. Thought that was obvious 🙄🤦🏻

You said you wouldn't accept the kind gesture from the lady who helped the Op though? If you understand the difference why wouldn't you accept because the Op and the other shoppers weren't children? However, I don't think the lady gifting the Op was attempting to groom her! Grooming isn't giving a child a bag of sweets when the child is with a parent or allowing a teenager to use your mobile to call home. Grooming is a deliberate, prolonged and pre meditated process. My ds is 16 and if he ever lost his money, I would be so grateful if a kind passer by gave him his fare home. Neither I or my ds woul leap th the conclusion they were, in that moment attempting to groom him!

Why are people still going on? I wouldn’t have accepted it. The end. I go to the self check out anyway easier to avoid that way. Then you know now much it’s coming to.

@TurnUpTurnip

Ever heard of grooming, it’s not always an “act of kindness” kids round here are groomed into gangs with offers of buying them things like expensive trainers, I will continue to teach my kids not to accept things off strangers.

I was at a festival couple of years ago with my 12 year old daughter and a friend.

My daughter was 12 at the time and sitting on a blanket watching the bands while my friend and I went for food and drinks.

By the time we got back, the heavens had opened and I hoped my daughter had thought to put on her coat. Got back to find her happoly sitting on the blanket with an umbrella, a packet of crisps and a bottle of water that a woman nearby had given her 😊

Strangers are more often than not not the riskiest adults to our children and most people are decent and kind.

The rule I gave.mine was, "Don't go anywhere with anyone, whether you know them or not, without telling me first."

There are several billion strangers in the world. It's not good to be fearful of anyone you don’t know.

It's a sad thing when people helping others just to be kind is feared by the majority. It is just a minority though.
I think random acts of kindness are lovely and I encourage my son to help if he ever can and he is very kind and caring.

I meant, the minority!

This is SO lovely.
I was in the supermarket on a Saturday morning, desperately trying to do the big food shop with my DD who was 2.5 at the time.
Got to the checkout, she utterly refused to stand and wanted to be carried whilst I was unloading a full trolley onto the checkout, I was getting flustered and trying to do it one handed..
The cashier behind the till sensed my desperation and told DD she could come around and help her scan and sat her on her knee (after asking my permission) and called her colleague over to bag my shopping up and told me to sit down and take a break.
LOW and behold - I had forgotten my wallet !! I was so upset and told them I would come back later as I had forgotten my wallet, I was almost in tears by this point, an elderly couple behind me were so taken by DD and saw what had happened and the lady grabbed my arm and said "not on your nelly" she tapped her card and paid for all my shopping, it was £70 worth! I was so unbelievably touched, but utterly made her give me her number so she could text me her bank details, it took some convincing but she did. I was so touched not only by the checkout staff's kindness but the couple as well, it's restored my faith in the world.

My elderly housebound Mum lives next door to a nice family who decorate the outside of their house at Christmas. They have a chain link fence between their gardens and last Christmas mum rather cheekily asked if they could put some of their lights on the fence so she could see them too through her patio doors.

They put a load of tasteful light-up decorations right in her back garden just for her! She was thrilled. When she told me I cried.

I finally got the chance to chat to NDN recently and thanked him. He said he has more and better planned for this year.

I once had MNers buy my shopping for me when I couldn't afford to feed my kids. An entire fortnight's worth of food. A few all clubbed together to get me as much as possible.

My best friend is paying for DS1s school trip for me as its £240 and his dad won't chip in so she's paying the lot.

I went to the vet last night and an elderly man with a dog was getting upset because his bill was higher than he expected. I put the £20 he needed in his hand and told him not to worry about it. He was ever so grateful, gave me a hug and told me he will pay it forward when he can.

@EventOfTheSeason

We were out the other day and a lady appeared while I was getting ready to take a photo of dh and dd, she offered to take one of the 3 of us. Small gesture but lovely for us.

I've done this several times, I barely have any photos of me and my children so I always try to offer, a few people have done the same for me too and it's so lovely!

I left my purse with £300 in a cab, I was returning after seeing my Father who was seriously ill with cancer so was not thinking too straight. It was late at night and DS was only little. My brother had flown over from the states and had very kindly insisted on paying me back for the hotel and my train ticket. He is a lot older than me and very wealthy.

The next day the cabbie turned up with my purse. He scuttled off very quickly. I dropped off a card with £20 in as a thank you and made sure to tell the company how great he was.

turnip do you feel you are missing out by approaching life with suspicion ?

People have been very kind to me and reading threads like this on here has made me more aware of the little things I can do that brighten up other people's days.

@TurnUpTurnip you were a bit rude "I do t mean to be rude but..." is rude so I guess that's why people piled on.

And I get the safeguarding thing - a man offered DD a go on a grabber machine on Brighton Pier while I was getting change for her. She accepted and was delighted and I'm afraid I was not at all and made it clear. Grown man (on his own) offering what looked like and unaccompanied Pre teen money (I was feet away)- very bad and not kind. And I made sure DD understood why I was angry and scared.

Adult offering to pay the shortfall of another adults shopping - very kind.

Depending on the ages of your children, when they are old enough I hope you can see the benefit in teaching them the difference. Rather than a blanket all people who are not us are bad.

To accept genuine kindness from strangers, with no expectation of reward and practice the same is one of the loveliest things in the world. It's such a shame it gets tainted with the very real dangers our children face.

I saw a lady (in her late 60's I'd guess) trying her best to run for a bus but it pulled away just as she got to the stop. I guess the driver was too busy looking at the road and didn't see her. I was quite young (only just learnt to drive) and wasn't sure if it was 'appropriate' to help, but I did. I stopped and gave that lady a lift all the way home. Turns out she'd been very ill with pneumonia, it was her first trip out in several weeks and the trip was only so she could get to the doctors.

I'm so glad I made the split decision to help. Since then my motto has been "if in doubt - offer". It might be the wrong thing to do but better to look or feel a bit silly than ignore someone in need.

TurnUpTurnip More to the point would you be the person offering the £5 ?

What kind of person wouldn't stop and help someone? Many many years ago i was in a shopping centre toilets, i could hear a lady crying in one of the cubicles, i knocked and asked of she was ok, she told me she hadn't made it to the loo and had wet herself and didn't know what to do, i asked her what had got wet, as it was summer it was her trousers and sandals. I asked for the sizes and went off and bought her wet wipes, trousers pants and flip flops. I told her i was leaving the shopping centre so she wouldn't feel embarrassed when she came out. Who on earth would have walked away without helping?

@ParkheadParadise

Yes, there is definitely kind people in the world and it isn't always about money. When my dd was murdered. A gentleman found her when he was returning from nightshift. He stayed with her until the police came,covered her with his coat. He never ONCE spoke to the press or gave any interviews. He attended her funeral and every year he takes flowers on her anniversary to the cemetery. He also had to endure the court case. I finally got to meet him properly 7mths after she died and was able to thank him in person for his kindness. I will always be grateful to him for what he did for my dd.

I can't express how sorry I am for your loss.

But what a beautiful story about the kind man.

@mbosnz
A little bit of kindness helps the world go round. Pass it on! (If you can, at the time. . .)

Yes, pay it forward. When I was in my early 20s, I scraped down the side of a parked car. I went to the house of the owner to let him know what I'd done. His wife was horrible, swearing at me, but he was lovely and thanked me for being honest (and told his wife to stop bring awful). He liaised with my dad to get it repaired off insurance. I never forgot his kindness and how it made a,dreadful situation a but more bearable.

Years later a young woman the age I'd been, ran into the side of me. She was distraught. I told her it was just metal, not to worry as long as she was alright etc. Her dad rang me to say that her daughter had told him I'd been kind to her and he wanted to thank me. It felt like a circle had been closed for me and I hope she paid it forward to someone else. Being kind can be as rewarding as having a kindness done for you.

No I wouldn’t offer a stranger £5 I don’t have the money to give to random strangers. Am I gonna be pounced on for that too 😐 way too many chancers in my area so I don’t give money to random strangers

Like other posters I've been on the receiving end of acts of kindness, and they definitely do restore faith in humanity.

I've also carried them out, small and large, just because I can.

Kindness is contagious I've found

@TurnUpTurnip. I think you've had a bit of a rough ride on here. Some people don't like accepting money, I can think of several different reasons why, but they're still appreciative of the offer. It seems like you're of that ilk. Nothing wrong with that and it doesn't stop you being kind in other ways which I'm sure you are.

Thanks I know I don’t get why people have been so nasty to me yet go on about kindness, I would have politely declined. I didn’t say the op was wrong for accepting.

@Mrtumblessecretlovechild
Awww that is so lovely. Teenagers seem to have a bit of a bad rep but this is so lovely to hear. This young man seems like such a gent, brought up with lovely manners. Glad you made the effort to email the school.

Had my first LO back in winter 2017, it was particularly cold that winter and I spent most of my time indoors, only going out to appointments. I remember HV saying I need to take LO out. So I had meticulously planned everything, and left early one morning to go into the city centre. LO was breastfeeding at the time and was cluster feeding. I remember going into the baby changing room in debenhams and trying to feed LO and being so flustered I wanted to cry. This woman came in with her husband and child. I think she nodded to her husband to go, so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Then as she was leaving she asked me if I needed anything from my bag.
I know it's not the biggest thing but I will always remember her kindness.

No. But I found someone's phone on the beach in the summer and posted it back to them.
They were lovely and paid me back straight away.