Kids These Days!

By A Proud Mom • March 14, 2015

My daughter (12 yo, 7th grade) is on the cross country team at her middle school. As with any sport, the cross country team has its "stars" as well as its less talented athletes. The top runners for the boys are Ethan, Michael (8th grade) and Kenji (7th grade.) Yesterday was the first track meet of the season, and when she got home, my daughter told me a story that made me want to cry.

According to my daughter, one of the new 6th graders is a boy named Albert. He is apparently "a little pudgy," pretty nerdy, and has never played any organized sports before. The 6th graders ran last, 3 laps around the perimeter of the school. Very early in the race, Albert was dead last. All of the other racers lapped him so that they were finishing the race when he was just finishing his second lap. When Albert saw the other kids finishing, he thought he was almost finished, too. When he realized that he had another whole lap left to run, the poor kid broke down and started crying.

When Ethan, Michael, and Kenji saw this out of shape, pudgy nerd break down in the middle of the field, they didn't even pause. All three of them immediately went out on the field to run Albert's last lap with him. This is against the rules in cross country, but not one person from the other teams protested. Instead of leaving (since all of their athletes had finished) both other teams hung around and waited for Albert to finish. When he finally crossed the finish line, all three schools cheered for him.

After my daughter told me this sweet story I said, "I hope Albert doesn't quit the team after this." She replied, "No way. We won't let him quit! He'll get better, he just needs a little help."

And that is why I love middle schoolers.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz

feel good videoCouple Rescues Prairie Dog From Their Dog's Mouth, Then Decides To Adopt It

feel good storiesOhio Man Makes Waves With His Fully Functioning Hot Dog Boat

feel good storiesStunning Footage Captures Moment Mount Lewotobi Erupts, Sending Ash Nearly 7 Miles High

feel good storiesTeacher’s Final Wish: Backpacks For Students In Need Fill The Aisles At Her Funeral

feel good storiesWhy Hope Is The Key To A Meaningful Life, Backed By New Research

feel good storiesJudge Waives Parking Fines So Dad Can Keep Supporting Son’s Space Dreams

feel good videoEvery Day, This Golden Retriever Leaps Into The Pig Pen To Play With The Piglets

feel good videoDog Saves His Best Friend's Life In Incredible Moment Caught On Video

feel good videoNewborn Baby Has Sweet Conversation With Dad While Lying On Mom’s Face

feel good videoWoman Tries To Help Bird, Then This Happened... And We Can't Stop Laughing

feel good videoBlown Away: Cat Covers Face And Gasps In Adorable Overreaction

Chris Filippou 12:17 PM (3 minutes ago) to me