From experience I have seen that children learn faster from the actions of adults than the spoken rules or advice from parents. When I had my daughter, my mom would always tell me to be cautious with what I do because she is watching and taking lessons. This did not quite play out until an incident happened at a time my daughter was barely 4.
In the early stage of motherhood, I juggled a lot of activities, from schooling to housekeeping to motherhood, and it was a lot. I had made a move for a nanny and a housekeeper so I could focus on study, but I couldn't get competent hands, so I found myself taking care of every activity.
So one day, it was the weekend, and I needed to stock up on groceries. Being that my daughter was still too little to be home alone, I took her with me to the market. I was done shopping and had wheelbarrow pushers take my load to the park, where I boarded a taxi home.
While the journey was a comfortable one, trouble started when the car started overheating, causing us to stop for the driver to take a look. I was calm as I thought, "Oh, it should be fixable," but unfortunately it wasn't, as the driver soon informed me that his vehicle was in a bad state and he couldn't continue on the journey.
While I might not know much about cars, I knew that as a little girl, my daddy would always pour water in the radiator, and when I asked, he said it was to prevent the car from overheating. So I suggested that to the man, and unfortunately he informed me that the problem goes beyond that.
In that moment I panicked. I panicked because where the driver stopped us was on the other side of a very busy road where I can't get another cab. It was also near impossible holding onto all my groceries and my daughter to cross to the other side. It was a complicated situation as I felt my anxiety creeping in.
I got out of the vehicle and had my groceries offloaded. I had wanted to pay the driver a part of the money, but he refused to take it while apologizing for the inconveniences that he had put me through.
Normally I would have been very upset, but the approach of the driver calmed me down. You know it was soothing to see that he cared at least.
So as I stood, contemplating and calculating on how to cross to the other side with my loads and my daughter, I saw a well-dressed older-looking man get out of an SUV. He crossed to where we stood, and while I thought he was going about his day, he questioned, "Do you need help?"
At that point I heaved a sigh of relief as I said a loud, "Yes, please." I was already holding some of the groceries that were perishable, and he picked up the other lightweight ones while using the other hand that was free to carry my daughter.
We crossed to the other side, and he asked me to stay put as he went back for the heavy ones. I stood there in amazement, and next I heard from my daughter, "Wow, Mommy, that man is a good man." While my joy knew no bounds as this kindhearted man got us another taxi and assisted in loading my things in. I was even more astonished as to how my little girl was able to spot a selfless act of kindness.
I have had people be kind to me, but that particular kindness was something else. Maybe because the man appeared to be of the elite class, and it is uncommon to see such people render assistance in such a manner.
In all, it was an exciting experience, especially for my daughter. I'm glad she's growing up with a sound mentality on how people should treat one another in love and in kindness.