The new generations of children seem to be brought up quite differently than we were by our parents. I have this feeling that nowadays, kids are less and less empathetic towards others. Bullying takes place almost everywhere, especially at schools, the places where a child should feel safe and protected.
Many times, their blunt observations and vocal nature can be used to make others feel less worthy. This, of course, isn’t true for every kid out there as the child’s behavior and the way they treat others has a lot to do with the style of parenting they receive at home.
One New Jersey school bus driver, Cindy Clausen, has seen it all when it comes to the way children treat each other. So, one day, as she was on the job driving kids to school, she noticed a boy and a girl approaching a boy with special needs. This smelled trouble. Cindy was certain there would be a problem as she believed the two children would bully the other one. However, she was shocked when she realized they did something out of the norm.
Instead of making fun of the boy with disability, the children, who were a brother and sister, befriended the boy and made him feel included! They even asked him to sit with them. What’s most, they offered help and chatted about their day at school.
It was clear to Cindy that the siblings’ parents were showing them the right way to treat people!
The same happened in the days that followed, so Cindy felt the urge to praise the parenting of the siblings, Annaliese and Jorge, by writing a letter for them.
Before the letter reached the family, Cindy shared it with the Love What Matters Facebook page:
“I am compelled to write to tell you how beautiful your children are, inside and out! This can only come from the home, your patience and guidance, the examples that you set and teach.I have a child on my bus named Jackson. Both of your children have showed him so much compassion and support. Every day your children ask if they can sit with Jackson.Some days Jackson is a little sad getting on the bus but as soon as he sees Annaliese and Jorge he smiles. Jackson has difficulties walking and it takes a bit for him to get to his seat.Today Annaliese looked out from around her seat and said, ‘come on Jackson, you can do it” and when we arrived at school, Jackson took it upon himself to carry out his backpack!I know you know how wonderful your children are, but I wanted you to know that it shows!”
Needless to say, the parents were happy their children acted the right way and made the boy feel loved and accepted. Thy couldn’t be more proud!
Facebook/Love What Matters
It’s children like Annaliese and Jorge that give us hope in the future generations!
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Bored Daddy
No matter how indifferent little children might seem about the things taking place around them, the truth is that most of them are very observant, and this characteristic is what helped one young boy save his father’s life.
Mark, who has diabetes type I, is a father of three-year-old Lenny-George Jones. Having this condition isn’t easy. It requires a lot of discipline, eating healthy, and maintaining a healthy weight, among the rest. Despite everything, people suffering from this condition are at higher risk of blood clots, high blood pressure, and cholesterol.
One day, as Mark and his son were having fun together at home, Mark suddenly collapsed on the kitchen floor. Being alone in the house with his little son didn’t seem promising, but his boy knew exactly what to do as he watched his mom doing the same before.
Although he’s still very young, Lenny-George knew he needed to give his daddy something to eat in order for him to get better. The quick-thinking boy grabbed some yogurt from the fridge and put it in his dad’s mouth using a toy knife. Shortly after, Mark regained his consciousness and was able to take his medications.
The boy’s mom, Emma, shared what had happened and explained: “I’m not sure how he took [the yogurt] out of the fridge, but his tiny blue wooden chair was right next to it, so it appeared as if he’d brought it over to stand on it.
“He was able to feed Mark enough to raise his blood sugar levels and acquire his medications.”
Mark was happy things turned the way they did and said he was very proud of his son who knew exactly what to do in order to save his father’s life.
“He’s such a sweet and thoughtful little child,” Emma said.
Lenny-George deserves all the praise for his heroic act.
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The prolonged coronavirus pandemic affected many people’s lives. Business were shut down and many lost their jobs, unable to find a way to provide for their families.
Amy Winter, 26, and Joshua Thain, 27, a young couple and parents of three, with their fourth child on the way, found themselves in an unenviable situation after they were unable to pay rent for many months.
“It’s that bad we don’t go out or anything because we’re worried. I’ve asked my family if they can help, they can’t help with accommodation because they’re only living in one bed and two bedroom houses. The only person who is trying to help is my partner’s uncle but he lives down in Somerset,” Amy explained.
Amy Winter with her husband Joshua Thain and children Lexi, Skye, and Daisy-Mae Source: Huddersfield Examiner
The worried mother told The Sun that the housing association threatened to “put them on the streets.”
The Barnsley Council on the other hand said in a statement how they offered solutions but the family refused to be split up.
“I think Barnsley Council need to get off their backside and figure out what they’re going to do, instead of just telling us one thing and next thing a different thing. I ain’t separating my family up after everything that’s gone on with Josh losing his mum, I said ‘I ain’t separating my family just because you want me to.’”
The home where the family currently resides is owned by Sanctuary Housing and the name on the tenancy agreement is that of Victoria Robertshaw, Joshua’s late mother who died from Covid some months ago.
Source: Huddersfield Examiner
As reported by Yorkshire Live, a spokesperson for Sanctuary Housing said that this decision wasn’t sudden or rushed. They claim the couple should have expected something like this to happen as they were aware they didn’t pay rent for a prolonged period of time.
“On Monday, an Outright Possession Order for this property was granted by a judge at court which asks the occupants to vacate it within 7 days. The proceedings related to significant rent arrears that have built up with no rent being paid for several months. This despite our attempts to resolve the issue before going to court.”
Barnsley Councillor Jenny Platts, added more. “Our housing team are continuing to work with the couple and are offering them advice around their housing options and support to consider alternative accommodation.”
We hope this family would be able to find a way to either keep their place or find a suitable home in the near future.
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If you believe friendships like that of Bea the Giraffe and Wilma the Ostrich are cute and unusual, wait until you hear the heartwarming story of Ruuxa the cheetah and Raina the dog. Both these loving animals are inhabitants of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. What is interesting about their friendship is that they’ve known each other since the moment they were born and never left each other side during the two years of their life.
It all started when Ruuxa’s mother gave birth to a single baby. Since cheetahs usually give birth to a litter of 3 to 5 cubs, and even more, Ruuxa’s mother abandoned him believing being an only cub, he wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild.
Fortunately, the zoo staff knew exactly what to do. They introduced Ruuxa to a baby dog named Raina, and the rest is history.
San Diego Zoo
Being by each other’s side is everything these souls know, and they love it. Their days are fun and engaging, and they enjoy each other’s company so much that they don’t really opt to bond with the rest of the animals.
San Diego Zoo
Their friendship grew even stronger when the zookeepers noticed how Ruuxa’s legs weren’t forming properly. Instead of growing straight, they were growing in a bow shape.
Since that meant he wouldn’t be able to run and walk properly, they decided to fix his problem with a corrective surgery.
San Diego Zoo
During the period of recovery, Raina was extremely supportive and was there for her friend. She would keep him company and give him lots of licks, kisses, and snuggles.
The staff was impressed by how careful and loving the dog was during his friend’s tough times.
San Diego Zoo
Everyone agrees how these cute cheetah and dog are more like siblings than friends.
DF
You can take a look at them in the video below.
Please share to inspire others to show their appreciation for those who risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
From the moment he was welcomed into the world, musician Pete Burns was given the freedom to do things his way. His mother, who was a holocaust survivor and married a British soldier, believed her son should be free spirited, and as it turned out, he accepted that with ease and lived his entire life in such manner.
“[My mother] had me when she was 51 years old, which was very unusual in 1959,” Burns said in the book Europe’s Stars of ’80s Dance Pop: 32 International Music Legends Discuss Their Careers.
“I wasn’t put in school until I was seven year old because my mother thought it was more important to let me have freedom of expression (much against my father’s will) than to know when the Battle of Hastings took place or when Henry VIII married. She was very troubled, especially when she found out her father had been [killed].”
Youtube/ Joe I. Howell
She saw his mother as his best friend. He gave him the power to dream.
Around the time Burns reached 14, he got fascinated with fashion and trends and was courageous enough to try different styles, something that is in a big way related to the person he was his entire life. He started wearing earrings and dyed his hair, something the school he attended wasn’t happy with, so he was eventually expelled.
Richard Williams/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Burns found enjoyment in dressing as a drag, although he wasn’t comfortable with labels being put on him.
“I have never had a reason to separate gender. I’ve had two very powerful people in my life, my ex-wife Lynn, and my husband Michael, and that’s it,” he wrote in The Guardian in 2007.
“Everyone’s in drag of some sorts, I don’t give a f**k about gender and drag. I’m not trying to be a girl by putting on a dress – gender is separated by fabric. I was brought up with an incredible amount of freedom and creativity. Society has put certain constraints on things.”
Youtube/deadoralivetv
His music career started unexpectedly. He and his then girlfriend Lynn, whom he married in 1980 and was together with for more than 20 years, had a small shop near a club called Eric’s. There, they saw many musicians perform, and after a while, Burns was invited to perform himself.
“But [the club’s owner] actually set me up with a band of musicians called The Mystery Girls, and my first gig was supporting a group called Sham 69. My audience was really shocked when they first saw me. It was really throwing a cat among the pigeons.”
Burns then started performing with his band Nightmares in Wax before he founded Dead Or Alive in 1980.
His appearance had a lot to do with his success. All of a sudden, magazines were interested to learn more about him and he became a celebrity and his band released hits which rose to the Top 30 in Britain.
Youtube/spikeyroberto
As his popularity grew more and more and he became aware of the fact that he was becoming a “visual entity,” Burns turned to cosmetic surgeries. The first surgery he had undergone was to fix his broken nose, and it was more than enough for him to get addicted. Over the years, he had over 300 surgeries which eventually led him to bankruptcy.
“What I’m trying to achieve with my surgery, is my own personal satisfaction. It’s narcissism,” Burns told People. “What you see on the outside is a complete contradiction to something that’s on the inside,” he added.
The huge number of operations led to a a face and lips infection, which as a result, led to even more procedures.
“Changing my face is like buying a new sofa,” adding that there was “not a part of me, apart from the soles of my feet, which has not had work done. For me, plastic surgery is a matter of sanity, not vanity,” he said of his addiction which got out of control.
Youtube/spikeyrobereto
On October 23, 2016, following a massive heart attack, Pete Burns passed away.
Months before he passed away, Burns opened up about the way his addiction with plastic surgeries affected his life and left him penniless. Speaking to BBC, the eccentric musician revealed: “As a result of all the anesthetics and antibiotics which do have side effects, I now suffer from pulmonary embolisms and blood clots in my heart, lungs, and legs.”
Youtube/lefty lucy
Recalling a previous experience during which he almost lost his life, Burns said:
“It was a lovely feeling dying, I just remember being all wired up to tubes and wishing they removed them, it felt so nice, like a bath of velvet. everything felt so soft and floppy,” he added.
“I’m not comfortable with the idea of aging, I don’t want to look like a 65-year-old. I’m not the boy next door, I’m the boy next door but one. I hope that when I’m 80 I get to heaven and God doesn’t recognize me.”
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I can never imagine the heartbreak which comes with losing a pet.
When Dwight and Melissa, a couple from Wisconsin, noticed that their dog Payday was nowhere to be seen, they were left heartbroken. It wasn’t in the dog’s nature to wander off, so they were really scared for him as they feared that someone could have stolen Payday from them.
Their 12-year-old daughter was crushed. The family searched everywhere, but to no avail.
Source: Facebook/ Wisconsin Humane Society
Then, some 2 years later, something extraordinary happened. Dwight was watching TV and forgot to turn it off when he went to sleep one night. In the morning, when he woke up, the first thing he saw on TV was Payday. At that moment, FOX6 News Milwaukee were introducing a “little brown dog with the most adorable underbite” during their “Adopt-A-Pet” segment. There was no doubt the sweet dog was the one this family was praying to be found safe and sound.
Dwight rushed to call the Wisconsin Humane Society and told them that the dog they featured on the program belonged to him. He explained that Payday went missing and that they were looking for him everywhere.
The rescuers couldn’t wait to arrange a reunion and made sure they caught the emotional moment on camera for everyone to see.
Payday was overly excited to see him humans again, and they were happy he could get home after so much time.
“We are beyond ecstatic for this amazing family to finally be whole again,” the shelter wrote.
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According to the most recent federal data, the number of children who are part of America’s foster care system is over 400,000. That number is devastating to say the least. It means that that many children struggle to find a permanent place to call home and to be accepted by the families they are placed at.
Some adapt easily. Others, however, have a hard time getting used to that kind of life and are left emotionally damaged long after they come of age and become adults.
Jessica Benzakein is a single mother of two. Today, she’s at a good place because she is independent and has her children by her side, but she had a pretty rough childhood. When she was only 12, Jessica’s mom lost custody of her and she spent the next couple of years going from home to home.
Unfortunately, she never settled and felt lonely most of her life.
HAPPENING NOW: Today marks a big day for Jessica Benzakein. She’s been a foster parent for years, opening her heart and home to foster kids in need.
Today, she finally gets to adopt these SIX kids she’s had for years.
Today, however, Jessica is doing fine and she wants to make a change. And that change starts with her adopting six siblings she fostered.
Namely, when she learned of Will, 17, Carter, 14, Sidney, 13, and Buddy, 8, as well as Kendrich, 6, and T.J., 4, she knew she couldn’t let them be placed in different homes. She really wanted to see them grow together, and the only way for that to happen was for her to welcome all of them in. The siblings loved their new place and were well accepted by Jessica’s biological children, Eli, 14, and Brenna, 9.
Being a single mom of two wasn’t easy, and being a single mom of 8 would be even more difficult and demanding, but Jessica was willing to take the risk.
Source: YouTube/ WISN 12 News
Sharing her incredible life journey with Today, this brave woman said, “Everybody tells me how lucky these kids are and what a good thing I did. But … I’m going to cry … they grounded me. I went through my 20s thinking I didn’t really need a family. But I did. They give me purpose.”
Finally, last year, a Milwaukee judge ruled that she could officially adopt her foster children.
“Do you think it’s in their best interest that you be their mom?” the judge asked her.
“I think we are pretty good together,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m the best mom, but I’m their best mom. I love ’em.”
Speaking to WISN, one of the kids, Sidney, said, “I feel like this is the best choice that I could have.”
Carter added: “The whole adoption thing doesn’t really matter, because we consider each other as a family no matter what.”
Jessica is a woman with a heart of gold. We wish her and her family a beautiful life.
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Best known for the role of Jimmy Palmer on the smash hit series NCIS, actor Brian Dietzen has had quite a lucky start in the business.
We are all perfectly aware that making a name for oneself in Hollywood is harder than one can imagine, but for Dietzen, it didn’t take long before he became a celebrity in his own right.
Shutterstock/s_bukley
Even as a young kid, Dietzen was interested in acting and writing. The now 44-year-old actor once recalled in an interview with The TV MegaSite:
“[Writing] is kind of an extension of acting. It’s creating a script, it’s moving forward and expressing some sort of artistic vision. I went to school at CU in Boulder, and even there, I loved reading scripts.
“I loved studying the classics, studying the masters, and that sort of stuff. And moving out here when I started writing with my friend Abby Miller, we wrote a musical together, a feature musical.”
He further added: “We realized, shortly thereafter, that it would cost millions of dollars to make that feature, so we decided to try our hand at writing something on a much smaller subject, and we came up with Congratulations.”
The film Congratulations was released in 2012, and was selected by over a dozen film festivals. It also won Best Feature awards from United Film Festival and New Filmmakers.
Instagram/briandietzen
At that point, Dietzen has already had a career in film and starred in the 2003 film From Justin to Kelly, among the rest. A year later, in 2004, he was offered a guest role in NCIS which eventually turned into something huge. He became a regular at the start of the 10th season and all of a sudden, everyone knew his name.
“One of the big, memorable days is my first scene here. And I was hired to do one scene with David McCallum, one day,” he told CBS.
“And I went in there, we had a nice juicy scene with David, where I was nervous, and I was working on a tape recorder. He and I played really, really well together.”
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins
As he gained more and more popularity with each passing episode , Dietzen also experienced some health issues. Mare months before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the actor had a stoke.
“I’m going to say something that’s going to sound like an advertisement, and it’s not, but the Apple Watch saved my life. I was on the floor of my bathroom, throwing up, and I pulled out my phone, and I was like, ‘Oh shit, I can’t use my fingers,’” Dietzen recalled in an interview with Variety.
“And so I said, ‘Hey, Siri, call Kelly,’ and called my wife. I said, ‘I need help.’ She said, ‘You sound like you have marbles in your mouth.’”
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins
Luckily, he managed to call 911 through a voice command and was rushed to the hospital where he was provided with medical assistance.
“‘I don’t think there’s much that I’ve left undone because everyone that I love knows that I love them’ — that sort of thing. But then I was like, ‘Whoa, no, I can’t start thinking that way,’ and then I started trying to get my mind in the right place,” Dietzen said.
“And I could feel something happen in my brain, but all of a sudden, I could move my hands and start moving my tongue. I started doing tongue twisters. They’re like, ‘Please stay still.’ But the clot in my brain cleared. And I was really blessed that I’d stayed really healthy and had a really healthy cardiovascular system.”
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins
After doctors ran tests, they found a hole between Dietzen’s atrial chambers and he was forced to undergo an urgent surgery. The procedures was successful and Dietzen recovered completely. This experience, however, and the time he took off to help his body and soul heal gave him the opportunity to look back at his life and everything he has achieved. He realized that it was his family and his career that made him happy. “And I realized there’s no reason why I can’t tell really great stories and branch out and still do what I love on this thing, and be surrounded by these people that have supported me and that I support and love,” he told Variety.
We are very glad Brian Dietzen was able to get back on his feet. We only wish him the best in the years to come.
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