upworthy

Family

Family

'Act like you're my mom': 10-year-old cleverly escapes a woman who was following him home

Security cameras caught it all on video.

via Doug Kerr/Flickr

Pennsylvania's State Route 100.

A quick-thinking 10-year-old boy escaped a woman trying to lure him by pretending that a local store clerk was his mother. ABC 6 reports that Sammy Green was walking home from school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, November 11, 2022, when a strange woman started following him.

The woman "started walking with him and asking him where his family was, asking where his dad was," Sam Green, the boy's father, told ABC6. The boy didn’t know the woman but she insisted that she knew his family.

She tried to lure him into going with her by promising she’d buy him “anything he wanted” at Wawa, a local convenience store that sells shakes, sandwiches, and other treats.

"She was like, 'I'm going to Wawa, are you going there? What are you getting from Wawa? Where's your family at?'" Sammy told CBS.

"She said she probably knew me and was going to Wawa and that he was supposed to go with her and he could get anything he wanted," Sam Green said.

In an attempt to flee the suspicious woman, Sammy walked into Dani Bee Funky, an unconventional gift shop, where he went straight to 17-year-old Hannah who was working the register. "He was like, 'Pretend like you're my mom,'" Hannah told CBS, "and I was just like, 'all right go to the back.' He didn't want to leave my side."

Security footage shows that Hannah then calmly walked up to the store’s front door and locked it, preventing the woman from coming inside. After she was locked out, the woman walked away. "I was still shaking when I was in here," Sammy said.

The security camera footage is hard for Sammy's dad to watch. "When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it," said Green.

The shop’s owner has nothing but praise for Hannah’s calm way of handling the dangerous situation. "I am very proud of her. Hannah is a 17-year-old young lady. She did everything correctly," Small said.

This story is a great reminder for parents to talk to their kids about what to do if they are approached by a suspicious person. The first thing they should know is that it’s OK to say “No!” as loudly as possible to a suspicious person. They should then scream, “Help! This is not my mom or my dad!” to alert the adults around them and then run. If they are grabbed by the person they should bite, punch and kick as hard as they can until they can get free.

Sammy’s dad is proud that his son remembered what he told him to do when confronted by a suspicious stranger. "Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it," he reminded parents. "Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills."

For the time being, Sammy is going to have a family friend walk him to and from school. The Pottstown Police have spoken with the woman and she is now getting help for mental health issues.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

From Your Site Articles
children
Family

People are supporting a dad whose wife named their newborn while he went out for coffee

He didn't like the name, either. Shouldn’t it be a 50/50 decision?

via Canva

A mother smiles proudly after naming her baby.

Most people believe that both parents have an equal right to choose their baby’s name and that it should result from an agreement between both parties. That doesn't mean it’s always easy for both people to agree on the same name, but look, if you’re going to be a successful parent, you must know how to make compromises occasionally. Starting the job with your heels dug in does not bode well for anyone.

That’s why the following story is interesting. It shows what happens when a mother decides she can make the decision all by herself and what the fallout is like when her husband and his family find out. The story was recently shared on social media, and the commenters were shocked that she wasn’t sure if she was in the wrong.

"So, my (32F) husband (33M) and I just had our first baby girl a couple of weeks ago,” she begins the story. “We’d been going back and forth on names during my entire pregnancy. I really wanted to name her Eleanor after my late grandmother, who basically raised me when my parents weren’t around. She was my hero, and losing her last year was devastating. Honoring her felt deeply important.”

The woman’s husband preferred modern names such as Nova or Ember, which the mother just “couldn’t connect with,” so they never compromised.

baby names, parents of newborns, momsCaouple can't agree on baby names.via Canva

“On the day our daughter was born, while my husband stepped out to grab coffee, a nurse asked if we had a name for the birth certificate. I know I should have waited, but I was emotional and felt this rush of conviction. I just blurted out, ‘Eleanor.’”

When the husband returned with the coffee, he was “furious.”

“He said I’d blindsided him, robbed him of having a say, and that our daughter would hate her 'old lady' name. His family is also calling me manipulative. I feel terrible about the timing and how it all went down, but it’s not like we hadn’t discussed Eleanor before. I just feel like I honored a name that truly mattered to me when he wouldn’t budge.”

The mother asked the commenters if the father was overreacting because “we couldn’t find common ground.”

The commenters overwhelmingly supported the father in the situation. “You made a unilateral decision about your shared child,” the top commenter wrote. “You literally started her life by using her as a centerpiece for conflict with your husband. You also isolated her from your husband during the first major decision regarding her. What a terrible way to start her life.”

“‘…it’s not like we hadn’t discussed Eleanor before.’ You discussed it and he said no. Personally, I think the name Eleanor is lovely, but that’s not the issue,” another commenter noted. “You unilaterally made a decision —a decision a you knew your husband disagreed with—about your—both of your—child. Your giving birth doesn’t make this child any less his. Your husband and his family are absolutely right. You blindsided him."

baby names, parents of newborns, momsA newborn baby. via Canva

However, a few commenters believed whoever birthed the child had the right to pick the name, even if the father disagreed. “This might be the only daughter you have and if he can’t make it meaningful for you when you just risked your life for this baby and let you have the win then idk,” one of the few supporters of the mother wrote. ”I would let him pick the middle name. Trendy names are overrated.”

The woman who posted her story has yet to follow up and share what happened next, but let’s hope she took the commenters’ advice and apologized to her husband and changed the baby's name. Most agree that it's not fair for him to call his daughter a name he doesn’t like for the rest of their lives and it will always be a sore spot in their relationship. It’s best to bring a child into a family where everyone is on the same page and agrees on the things that matter most.

From Your Site Articles
baby names
Family

Mom shares her entirely thrifted Christmas gift haul for her son and it's quite impressive

Seriously great finds—and she saved hundreds of dollars.

@nataliejoyjewlery/TikTok

This is gold medal thrifting.

According to a study provided by What to Expect in November, parents on average spend about $173 on each child for Christmas. Each child. You don’t have to be a math whiz to see how quickly that adds up (especially if you have multiple kiddos) and that’s on top of all the other gifts, decorations, special foods and every other investment made to conjure up some Christmas vibes.

And sure, you can hope for Black Friday deals to save your wallet on these endeavors, but let’s be honest, many supposed “bargains” are just fabricated to get us to spend more. And even if you do save some money, doesn’t it sometimes (not always, but sometimes) feel like there’s something sort of sterile about this gift giving process? Like, where’s the magic of stumbling upon that unexpected, yet perfect thing and getting to share the story of finding it along with the actual item itself, ya know?

Thrifters know this feeling all too well. One thrifty mom knows it so well she decided to buy her son’s entire Christmas haul completely secondhand, and her incredible finds are pretty darn inspiring.

In a clip posted to her TikTok, mom and “avid thrifter” Natalie Joy shared how her previous attempt at an all thrifted holiday haul for her son was such a “magical” experience (not to mention a viral one, as the clip got over 4 million views) that she decided to do it again this year.

Wait til you see her impressive finds.

@nataliejoyjewelry My 4 year old’s entirely thrifted Christmas! #thrifted #thriftedgifts #thriftedchristmas #thrifting #thriftmas #sustainableliving ♬ original sound - Natalie Joy Jewelry

Starting off strong, Natalie shows an adorable vintage kiddie suitcase, made even more perfect since it reminded her of the blue suitcase she had as a child which said “Going to Grandma's” and was one of her “favorite things.” Plus, she filled it with thrift books. Both of these things cost her $26. Have you seen the price of kid suitcases these days? You'd be lucky to find one for under $100.

Next up, a lap harp that just needed a pick, and an entire Spirogrpah arts and crafts set, both of which go for around $68 and $27 on Amazon. She snagged them for $7 and $5.

And then there was the beaded alligator purse that her son personally picked out at Goodwill for $4.99, which would likely be five times the price elsewhere and she already knows her kid is gonna love. Win win.

There are just so many gems—including a sizeable box of blocks for making a medieval castle, a shiny holographic puzzle, and a toy cash register—but the real pièce de résistance is a kiddie record player that you can find for about $50 on Ebay, which undoubtedly was one of her son’s “big presents.”

“My husband owns a record label so vinyl is a very big deal in our house,” Natalie explained. “I got it at an estate sale for $18 and I plugged it into the wall. It works. I'm gonna set up a little record area in his room. I just... I'm so excited.”

But wait, there's more. Natalie also got a precious stuffed elephant, a brand spanking new Little Tikes Story Time Projector at half the price, and Lincoln Logs. Man this kid is making out like a bandit, for real.

There was one toy that Natalie’s son did specifically ask for—a Bruder crane truck—which she knew would be difficult to procure from a thrift shop. However, in trying to stick to her plan, she got a used one from Facebook Marketplace for $25. Unfortunately, this one was broken…which is sometimes the risk of buying secondhand.

But, Natalie just used this as an opportunity to get “creative.”

I have decided I'm going to put a note from Santa in the cab of the truck. The note is gonna say that a couple years ago this fell off of his sleigh and it broke. And he's just had it in the back of his workshop waiting for the right kid who he knew would appreciate it even though it has a flaw. So Santa's gonna add a little extra magic,” she said.

Seriously, freakin’ genius. And certainly more of a fun adventure than simply inputting credit card information and a shipping address.

Lastly, Natalie swiped an assortment of fun shaped scissors, an “I Spy” game, red winter gloves, a rubber snake, a little bag of ocean animals, a bag of marbles, some stamps as stocking stuffers and a handful of seashells. All of this will be wrapped with…you guessed it… thrift wrapping paper, which is apparently in abundance at estate sales. Who knew?

So, what’s the total on their incredible Christmas haul? $154. Still less than the average, and a whole lotta stuff…each with really cool memories and stories infused into them. So cool.

Now, part of the trick to thrifting is allowing enough time for the items to be found. It’s definitely more of a treasure hunt than a regular shopping experience, and you’ll often fare better seeking out multiple sources—goodwills, estate sales, the occasional online marketplace, etc.—and making it a bit of a hobby. This is a luxury not many of us can afford, schedule-wise…which is partially why Amazon is so darn tempting (and booming). But at the same time, you’d be surprised at how much you can find even going to a thrift store every once in a while. Plus once you feel the sweet satisfaction of saving big and earning the bragging rights to tell everyone about it…it gets pretty addictive.

Not to mention that when you offer someone a gift that was thrifted, you’re also giving all that time, thought and love that was put in in order to get it. What’s not to love about that?

From Your Site Articles
moms
Family

Grandparents gift their adult children the toys they couldn't afford when they were kids

"I think it healed something in my grandpa, too.”

Photo credit: Canva

Kids are always kids in their parents' eyes.

Parenting can be more than an 18-year-long duty. For many families, it is a combination of a lifelong job and a lifelong relationship. A TikTok video making the rounds is getting folks into the holiday spirit with a message about parenting past the childhood stage.

The video shows grandparents giving childhood toys not to their grandchildren but to their now-adult children. These parents couldn’t afford to get their children toys for Christmas when they were young, but can now give them what they wanted decades ago.

@jessicaca1400

My grandparents gifted my aunts/uncles toys for the first time ever to heal their inner child but in the end i think it healed something in my grandpa too 🥺 #christmas #healinginnerchild

“My grandparents gifted my aunts/uncles toys for the first time ever to heal their inner child,” posted jessicaca1400 on TikTok. “But in the end, I think it healed something in my grandpa, too.”

Commenters on Reddit’s r/MadeMeSmile were also struck by this act of love:

“What's making me cry is knowing that while he was shopping, he had pictures of his little kids in his head––not the adult ones.”

“I love that none of the aunts/uncles looked like they were crying but rather super excited like any other kid on Christmas morning 🥹”

“I think such gifts will be kept as a memory of a good evening.”

One commenter translated the video from Spanish, “At the opening of the doll with curly hair: ‘She’s curly!’ ‘Look, she looks like you, Connie!’ 🥹”

This video has people moved and emotional for a reason. It’s not because of the gifts themselves but the love behind them. The reminder that parents don’t automatically stop being parents once their children have grown and have children of their own.

Being a parent is difficult in general, and even more difficult when you’re experiencing economic hardship. According to a 2022 study by the Brookings Institute economic think-tank, raising a child to adulthood costs the average middle-income parent $310,605. It can be incredibly frustrating to convey the love and desire to tangibly give more to your children when it just isn’t possible due to your budget. Lacking the funds to buy gifts breaks the hearts of the parents who would give their child the world if they could and disappoints the child who doesn't fully understand how the world around them functions.

But, as this video shows, it’s never too late to showcase that love when the opportunity arises.

i.giphy.com

While adult children may not need the type of love, support, gifts, and care that were necessary during their upbringing, gestures like the one demonstrated in this video can help further nurture and strengthen familial bonds. Buying a toy that your young child asks for is a way to make them happy and feel heard. Fulfilling a childhood desire for your adult child is a way to say, “You were heard and I’m still with you.” It’s a time capsule, both making your child feel loved now and retroactively when they were small in your arms. Your adult child might not actually need you, but they get to have you.

We’ve mentioned previously how wonderful and helpful these post-childhood parent bonds can be for everyone involved. Per CNBC, the biggest regret 90-year-olds had was not cultivating closer relationships with their children. Such gestures can help bolster or renew relationships and prevent future regret when looking back on your life in your golden years.

This type of adult parenting doesn’t have to be tied to gifts, nostalgia, or even money at all. If your adult child is still new to the working world, they could want your help coaching for a job interview, just like they needed your help when they were on the debate team. They could use a home cooked meal from you after a tough day at their job, much like they needed it after a tough day at school. It could be as simple as a “text me when you get back so I know you’re home safe” when they leave on a vacation or a work trip. Everyone wants to feel supported and loved whether they are four, fourteen or forty, and providing that support can also set them up for success for when they become parents and grandparents, too.

This video is an example of how enriching it can be to a parent throughout life, how such relationships can showcase love to generations, and how it’s never too late to get your kiddo that toy they always wanted.

From Your Site Articles
family
Trending Stories