When a two-year-old girl accidentally interrupted a group of boys playing recreational basketball on Tuesday (April 23), her mother fully expected her to be chased away from the court.
What happened next, however, completely surprised the mother.
Instead of getting annoyed with the young girl – who was walking with her grandmother at that time – for interrupting them, the boys decided to put their game on hold so that the young girl could play with them.
Being able to play basketball may have left the young girl elated and yearning for more, but it was the graciousness shown by the group of boys that truly touched the heart of the girl’s mother.
The mother expressed her appreciation for the group of boys by sharing the heart-warming account on Reddit under the username Xinshya, as she thanked them for making the entire experience one to remember for her daughter.
“She (Xinshya’s daughter) laughed so much and had so much fun because of you all, that when it was time for her to go home, she refused with all her being, because she wanted to play with her new big brothers some more,” Xinshya recounted in her post.
“Thank you so much! We’ve had a rough week last week so this means a lot, (and) we really appreciate you.”
Xinshya later revealed – in subsequent replies to her original post – that her daughter had always wanted to play with a basketball, but never got the chance to do so until that day.
She explained: “We pass by the basketball court often, and she (Xinshya’s daughter) always wanted us to stop so she could watch them play since she was 10 months old. She always wanted to play with them, but I didn’t want to disturb anyone, so we usually just watch.
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“Today, she was walking with (her) grandma…(who) got bullied into going to the court with her. So, she finally got her wish to play with the big brothers.”
Xinshya also praised the group of boys for ensuring the safety of her daughter while playing with her.
“I was so worried she was going to get knocked down or run over, but everyone was so gentle and careful with her. They would slow down so her little legs could catch up to them. The whole thing melted my heart,” she wrote.
Coincidentally, one of the boys who was involved in this encounter happened to chance upon Xinshya’s post on Reddit. Replying to the post under the username featweaf, he extended an open invite to Xinshya’s daughter to join them at basketball in future as he wrote: “No worries! We had fun too, do come down again. We usually play on weekdays!”
Redditors who came across the post praised the group of boys for their kind gesture towards Xinshya’s daughter.
Reddit user WikiRando wrote: “Don’t we all want to live in a loving, comfortable society? Then let’s all be the change we want to see. That means it starts with YOU and how you choose to react and perceive the world and the positivity or negativity that you choose to emit! Instead of getting angry at something, show some compassion like those boys did!
“You will make someone’s day and they will go on to make someone else’s day and before you know it, we will be a country of smiles! Wooo thanks for sharing the wonderful story, now you’ve made our day!”
Another Reddit user, GloryMaelstrom, added: “Wow, faith in humanity restored day by day…always nice to see kind act happening.”