Sweet, chatty, helpful boys!
On the way home from school with my youngest son at the wheel, we were close to home when we noticed a burning smell and smoke coming from the bonnet. He pulled into the next street and we popped the hood to investigate.
I knew it wasn’t good and wasn’t going to be an easy or quick fix and that I’d have to call for help. My son was due at work within half an hour. I told him to walk home and get ready while I called my eldest son to come pick him up. Next, I called roadside assistance and settled in for the wait.
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As I sat with my hazard lights on I felt quite disillusioned that no-one had bothered to stop to see if I needed help. Car after car drove by and no-one even looked my way. It was like they didn’t want to make eye contact so they wouldn’t feel guilty just driving past.
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About an hour later, 2 11-year-old boys approached on their bikes. These intuitive boys could see there was a problem. One boy decided I needed help and offered to organise it. To say I was surprised is an understatement. I was totally impressed by their genuine concern and thanked them for caring after I told them someone was on their way. The chatty boy looked under the car and noticed I had a leak. “You’re probably gonna need a tow. Do you want me to call someone?” Wow! At least 20 men in 4WD’s had ignored me but these boys were more than willing to do what they could! It was obvious these boys were quite resourceful and actually seemed to know what to do!
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I told them that when the mechanic arrived that he would organise the tow and we started to chat instead. I found out all about how boring school was and who their teachers were and had been over the years. I told them my boys had been taught by some of the same teachers. They continued chatting and I learned about sisters and brothers, mums and dads, which high schools they would attend next year and a whole lot of other stuff. These kind souls entertained me for at least 15 minutes before they needed to ride home.
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I thanked them for their concern and told them I appreciated them stopping for a chat. I smiled as they left me with a heart full of gratitude and hope for our youngest generation!