Parenting is never easy. It has its ups and it has its downs, but sometimes, the worst moments can unexpectedly lead to some of the best ones. That’s what happened in this story from 2015 when one mother’s negative experience was completely turned around.
It all started when Rebecca Boyd of Bessemer, Alabama found out that her husband had been unexpectedly laid off from his job. She was at a loss but instead of wallowing in the difficulties that were to come, she made the decision to have one last outing with her teenage daughter before money got too tight.
They decided to see a movie at the Tannehill Premiere Cinema 14, but what they didn’t expect was to have this night lead to a moment that would change their lives for the better. Sadly, what they thought would be a fun girls’ night out turned sour when Boyd and her daughter realized that they wouldn’t be able to enjoy the movie since the two teenagers behind them talked the entire time and even tapped their seats.
Boyd even turned around at one point and asked the two girls to please be quiet but they laughed in her face. She told ABC News, “There were two girls behind us, they were giggling, kind of talking … kicking my seat.” She decided to do something, so she turned around and told the rowdy teens:
“I just want you to know that your actions affect other people around you. You never know what other people are going through. For instance, my husband was just laid off from his job. This is the last movie that I can take my daughter to for a while and you’ve ruined that.”
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Unfortunately, the girls didn’t seem too impressed that Boyd asked them to quieten down. She told ABC News:
“After I spoke to them, they seemed to not care. They just laughed in my face.”
Boyd gave up and assumed that was the end of it and went on her way with her own teenage daughter. Sadly, she didn’t expect to get another night of fun for a long time. But little did she know that the brother of the teenagers overheard everything and was mortified. When he and his sister got home, he told his own mother what happened and she decided to take matters into her own hands. She told the news outlet:
“That broke my heart … It really made me feel a lot of shame and I felt embarrassed for the girls’ behavior.”
Then the mother, named Kyesha Wood, took to Facebook in a bid to find Boyd and set things right with her and her daughter. The post by Wood read in part:
“The woman I’m looking for addressed (my daughters) and asked them to be quiet and they were disrespectful … This rude, disrespectful, and awful behavior is unacceptable and they owe you an apology. My husband and I are having them write your apology letter tonight and we would like to pay for your next movie and snacks out of their allowance. Please message me if this is you. I apologize profusely for their disrespect.”
As she wrote at the start of her post, it was “a long shot” that the woman would see the post, but thankfully due to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Boyd did.
The sheriff’s office shared the post and it went viral and received over 250,000 likes. ABC News spoke with Sgt. Jack Self, who said:
“I live in that community … I just felt like if I could put it for a bigger audience, maybe she could find the lady she was looking for.”
He was right, and after Boyd saw the post she left a comment. Days later, she and Wood met for the first time in person. Boyd revealed, “I was shocked that the mother supported me.” The two girls wrote the apology letter that Wood said they would and she also gave money from their allowance to Boyd so that she and her daughter could enjoy another trip to the cinema. Boyd added, “I believe they’re good girls … They just made some mistakes.” Meanwhile, Wood said, “Rebecca is really the hero in this.” She added:
“Initially none of this would have happened if Rebecca had not said something to the girls. I think more parents have to do that.”
She also explained, “the intention was never to embarrass or humiliate the girls, but at the same time, I think they kind of understand the power of social media and how quickly the things you do wrong can spread.”
There’s no denying that a good lesson was learned that day by the teenage girls. What’s more, not only did Boyd and Wood meet in person, but after Wood’s post went viral, Boyd’s husband received several job offers from prospective employers who saw it. Talk about their luck changing!
This all goes to show that you can never be sure of the impact your actions can have on those around you; it is always best to choose kindness and patience. Do you think the mothers acted the right way? Let us know and pass this on to your friends and family to spread this important message.
