A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.
“Wow!” Holden exclaimed when he saw the mess he had created on the floor. He and his friend were just trying to play a prank on another student by painting his locker. However, he accidentally dropped the paint can in the middle of the basketball court, which would definitely be noticed.
“Come on, Holden! Let’s go! Let’s go!” his friend, Andrew, shouted, and they both left everything behind and ran away.
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A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.
Holden and his friend were not bad kids, but they often skipped classes and liked to play pranks on others. They didn’t mean any harm; Holden just didn’t like school and wanted to have fun like many teenagers do.
“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said when he saw the mess he made. “Sorry. That was rude.” Luckily, no one found out about the incident, but later, he walked by the basketball court and saw the old janitor cleaning up. He also heard the principal, Mr. Figgins, yelling.
“We have the pep rally tomorrow, and scouts from all over are coming! This needs to be cleaned up right away!” the principal shouted at the poor man, who was trying to scrub the floor. The paint was oil-based, making the job hard.
Yes, Mr. Figgins. I’ll make sure it’s ready for tomorrow,” the janitor replied, still scrubbing. The principal waved his arms, yelled some more, and stormed off.
Holden felt awful watching the janitor clean the mess caused by his prank, so he did something surprising. He walked onto the court, grabbed a rag, knelt down, and started helping the janitor.
The old man looked at him and said, “I guess you did this, right?” He continued to scrub the floor.
“Sir, I’m really sorry. It was a mistake. I didn’t know you would get in trouble for it,” Holden said sincerely. “Please don’t tell the principal. My mom would be really mad.”
The janitor sighed and replied, “I won’t tell anyone, but you have to help me until this floor is clean.” Holden quickly agreed.
As they worked, they talked. The janitor’s name was Fred. At first, they chatted about basketball and football since the school had some of the best teams. But then Holden asked why Fred was still working at his age. He looked to be over 60.
“Well, I need to pay my mortgage,” Fred said with a frown. “I’m 76.”
“Wow, you still haven’t paid it off? That means I can’t even think about having my own house,” Holden said.
“Things are tough right now, kid. I never really wanted a house. I bought that house for my daughter because she needed a place to live,” Fred explained, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I helped her with the mortgage for years, but then she died in a car accident, and now it’s all my responsibility.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Holden said quietly. They were silent for a moment. “Why not sell the house now?”
“Where would I go? With rent these days, I’d be homeless. I need to keep working to eat,” Fred said realistically.
“But you might never retire!” Holden added.
“That’s true. I just hope I can pay the mortgage before I die,” he continued.
“How much do you owe?” Holden asked.
“Well, it’s a little under $30,000,” Fred replied.
“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said, then widened his eyes. “Sorry, that was rude.”
But Fred laughed. “Let’s just keep working, kid.”
They finally cleaned up the paint, but it took a long time, and Holden went home late that night. He couldn’t sleep, thinking about how to help the old man who didn’t get him in trouble.
A few days later, he told his mother everything that happened and asked her how they could raise money for Fred. Maybe if they paid off his mortgage, he could retire.
His mother suggested that Holden mow lawns in the neighborhood. It was the right season, and many people needed help. So he got his dad’s lawnmower and started working hard.
But after a few days, he realized it was going to take a long time to earn the money. So he talked to his neighbors whose kids went to the same school. He took a picture of Fred from the school’s website and posted it online, sharing his story and creating a crowdfunding link to help the janitor.
To his surprise, the donations started coming in, and they raised $30,000 in just a week.
Then Holden and his mother spoke to the school principal about having a special ceremony to honor Fred and surprise him. Holden also had to tell the principal about the paint on the court, and Mr. Figgins agreed.
The whole school heard the story and gathered at the basketball court to cheer when Fred arrived. The old janitor had no idea what was happening since he didn’t use social media. Holden presented him with the money, and many people in the crowd cried as the two hugged. Fred officially retired that week.
Holden later learned that Fred had a granddaughter named Erin, who was only a few years younger than him. The janitor wanted to pay off the house for her to have when he was gone. Erin and Holden became good friends, and he started visiting Fred after school to help out.
He stopped hanging out with Andrew and began taking his classes more seriously. The whole experience taught him that you have to work hard for everything.
Holden changed completely and graduated at the top of his class a few years later. The school staff was shocked and happy with his turnaround, as they rarely saw such changes. And it was all because of Fred and that afternoon spent cleaning up paint.
What can we learn from this story?
You should apologize and do your best to fix your mistakes. Holden got the janitor in trouble but sincerely tried to make it right.
It only takes one experience or person to change someone’s life. After meeting Fred, Holden changed for good, learning that life is tough, and only hard work can lead to happiness.
Mom secretly records babysitter’s voice while she thinks she’s alone with little girl
No matter how much time they want to spend around their children, most parents need to work and provide for their families and that means being away from home for a good part of the day. This is when babysitters step in. Having them in their children’s lives can be a lifesaver.
Of course, it is important that the person the parents trust their child to is a responsible individual who’d take great care of the little one.
A mother named Nicky Maher from Somerset, Massachusetts, decided to secretly film her daughter’s babysitter and now the video is going viral for all the good reasons.
18-year-old Delaney Wilson, who takes care of Maher’s child while she’s at work, is a talented young lady with an enchanting voice. The thing is that she’s too shy to let the world learn of her vocal abilities as she doesn’t believe she sounds that good.
One day, as Maher entered the place and heard the captivating melody of Disney’s song Part of your World from The Little Mermaid, she just knew she needed to put that beautiful moment on tape.
At the start of the recording, Maher could be heard whispering, “this is our babysitter.” As Maher quietly enters the room, Wilson, who is not aware she’s being filmed, lets her voice loose. Her singing becomes more powerful and more profound and Maher can’t hold back her emotions.
Mom secretly records babysitter’s voice while she thinks she’s alone with little girl
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No matter how much time they want to spend around their children, most parents need to work and provide for their families and that means being away from home for a good part of the day. This is when babysitters step in. Having them in their children’s lives can be a lifesaver.
Of course, it is important that the person the parents trust their child to is a responsible individual who’d take great care of the little one.
A mother named Nicky Maher from Somerset, Massachusetts, decided to secretly film her daughter’s babysitter and now the video is going viral for all the good reasons.
18-year-old Delaney Wilson, who takes care of Maher’s child while she’s at work, is a talented young lady with an enchanting voice. The thing is that she’s too shy to let the world learn of her vocal abilities as she doesn’t believe she sounds that good.
One day, as Maher entered the place and heard the captivating melody of Disney’s song Part of your World from The Little Mermaid, she just knew she needed to put that beautiful moment on tape.
At the start of the recording, Maher could be heard whispering, “this is our babysitter.” As Maher quietly enters the room, Wilson, who is not aware she’s being filmed, lets her voice loose. Her singing becomes more powerful and more profound and Maher can’t hold back her emotions.
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Speaking to Fox News, Maher explained that she had already been aware of the babysitter’s voice before she filmed her. “I was like, I want her to hear herself when she knows nobody’s watching. I was blown away to tears, cried the first time I heard her sing. So, I said Delaney, you have such an insane gift.” Maher wanted to know why Wilson didn’t sing as often and in front of other people. “That’s when she said to me, ‘I just overthink it and I never feel like I sound good enough and I just don’t always feel confident in the way I look,’” Maher explained. “And it just broke my heart.”
Maher asked Wilson if she had a permission to post the video on TikTok, and Wilson agreed. In no time, it vent viral and gathered the attention of a huge number of people.’
“It’s not that she didn’t know she had a talent that so many people have already told her she had,” Maher said. “It’s that she didn’t hear it without knowing she was trying or that someone was watching. So that’s why the video was so beautiful.”
It is so beautiful when you are the reason for someone’s talent to shine.
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