Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

All kids kid deserve encouragement when chasing their dreams, especially young girls interested in activities traditionally dominated by boys. Jeanean Thomas, a firefighter and mother, took to her X handle, @JeaneanThomas, to share a heartwarming experience she had when taking her young daughter skateboarding for the first time.

Representative Image Source: Pexels | Joao Pedro Lisboa


Initially, Thomas felt uneasy about the skate park, as she and her daughter found it filled mostly with teenage boys who were smoking and swearing. "My daughter has been wanting to skateboard for months. I had to convince her that skateboarding wasn't just for boys. So when we walked up to the skate park and saw that it was full of teenage boys who were smoking and swearing she immediately wanted to turn around and go home," Thomas explained in her post.

Wanting to set a positive example, Thomas insisted to her daughter that the skate park was open to everyone, despite feeling nervous herself. She encouraged her daughter to try, despite the challenging environment. Thomas wrote, "She proceeded to go down the ramp despite you and your friends flying past her and grinding rails beside her. She only had two or three runs in before you approached her and said, 'Hey, excuse me.'"




Expecting to step in and defend her daughter's right to use the skate park, Thomas was prepared to remind the teenage boy firmly of the park's accessibility to everyone. However, she never needed to use her "mom voice," as the teen's words surprised her completely:

"I heard you say, 'Your feet are all wrong. Can I help you?' You proceeded to spend almost an hour with my daughter showing her how to balance and steer and she listened to you," Thomas shared.


Thomas was touched by how the teenager patiently guided her daughter, especially when she fell. She noted, "I even heard you tell her to stay away from the rails so that she wouldn't get hurt. I want you to know that I am proud that you are part of my community and I want to thank you for being kind to my daughter. Even though your friends made fun of you for it, she left with a sense of pride and with the confidence that she can do anything, (all) because of you."




The heartwarming story resonated widely online, prompting many positive reactions from social media users. @InSrchofLiberty commented, "Lovely story, but you should go back and tell him directly. He probably won't see it on X." User @ms_ashleybrown celebrated the girl's experience, writing, "I'm so glad she left with a sense of pride. Girls can do anything they want and be anything they want to be. Proud of her!" Another user, @OwaTajerQR, addressed negativity online by stating, "Wow. I can't believe the insensitivity of those with nothing but negative comments on this story. Glad the boy was sensitive."

More For You

Mom, mom and son, working mom
woman in gray sweater carrying baby in blue and white shirt
Photo by Gabe Pierce on Unsplash

Toddler's sweet messages for working mom on doorbell cam melts hearts

Doorbell cameras have captured so many iconic moments. From a UPS driver grateful for snacks left out at a home she was delivering at, to a new mom receiving heartfelt parenting advice from her mom during a visit, to an Amazon driver doing a solid for a woman looking to conceal her purchases from her husband--they do so much more than serve as a security tool.

And for first-time and working mom Hannah Bell, her doorbell camera has helped her create beautiful memories with her toddler, Landon, each morning she is away from home at the office. Bell shared with Newsweek, "I started consistently leaving for work before my son woke up in the morning, so we didn't get to see each other most mornings."

Keep ReadingShow less
Widow refused to share inheritance as teen stepdaughter faces homelessness—backlash erupts
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Mikhail Nilov; Reddit | u/Spiritual_Alps3413

Widow refused to share inheritance as teen stepdaughter faces homelessness—backlash erupts

Inheritance disputes often lead to heated debates, especially when a family is divided. One woman recently sparked outrage after revealing that she inherited her late husband’s entire estate—nearly a million dollars—without leaving anything for his 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Posting on Reddit as u/Spiritual_Alps3413, the widow asked if she was wrong for keeping everything while her stepdaughter and her mother struggled to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kathleen Thorson, her husband, and four children in the hospital.

Having ushered four lives into the world, Kathleen then made a choice that would save 12 more.

GoFundMe

After welcoming newborn, mom’s heartbreaking last decision saves 12 lives

Kathleen Thorson had a beautiful life—a loving husband, Jesse, and four cherished children, including their newborn son, Teddy. But just days after welcoming her baby, Kathleen suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage. Despite every medical effort, she would not recover. Instead of focusing on her own tragedy, Kathleen chose to leave behind a powerful legacy: donating 12 of her organs to those in desperate need.

Kathleen’s extraordinary act of generosity was nearly unheard of. Organ donations of this magnitude are incredibly rare, making her final gift even more remarkable. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to support Jesse and their children—Danny, Grace, James, and Teddy—helping them navigate life without her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chris Hemsworth's response to his daughter's big question deserves applause

Chris explains what happened.

Image from ellentube/YouTube video.

Chris Hemsworth's response to his daughter's big question deserves applause

Chris Hemsworth might be best known for swinging a hammer as the Norse god of thunder in “Thor: Ragnarok,” but when it comes to being a dad, he’s just as legendary. The 35-year-old actor and father-of-three had a standout parenting moment that proves he’s more than just a superhero on screen.

It started with a curious question from his daughter

In a 2015 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hemsworth shared a story that starts with his daughter, 4-year-old India, having a very specific question about anatomy—and ends with a beautiful message about identity and acceptance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gay teen asks friend's mom permission to attend girls-only sleepover. She handled it beautifully.
Reddit

Gay teen asks friend's mom permission to attend girls-only sleepover. She handled it beautifully.

For many young people, sleepovers have long been cherished occasions to bond with close friends - sharing late-night chats, snacking on treats, and revealing deep dark secrets. It's within these intimate gatherings that unbreakable connections and lifelong friendships are often forged. When Mason Brian Barclay's new best friend, Houston Shelton, invited him to a sleepover at her house, he was eager to take part in this rite of passage. However, Houston's parents had instituted a strict no-opposite-sex rule, meaning only girls were allowed.

Undaunted by the gender-based restriction, Barclay decided to directly appeal to Houston's mother, making a thoughtful case for why she should allow him to participate. "Hey, Mrs. Shelton! This is Mason Brian Barclay, I am one of Houston's new best friends. If she had people over on Friday, would I, a very homosexual male, be able to take part in the sleepover?" he asked her in a text message. "I think the common meaning behind only allowing the same sex to share sleepovers is due to the typical interest in the opposite sex when in this case, I do not like the opposite sex."

Keep ReadingShow less