On any given day in the United States, there are roughly 428,000 children in foster care. These children are there for any number of reasons, ranging from neglectful parents to parents who are sent to jail to families in crisis. Whatever a child’s reason for being in the state’s care, people need to keep in mind that it is not the child’s fault. These children, like every other child in this world, deserves love, care and attention, which is why it is so important that there are foster parents ready and able to give that to them.
One foster mother in Tennessee was prepared to give two young boys just that. The children came into her care late on a Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning, she was on her way to get the essentials for the brothers–toys, clothes and car seats–when she was pulled over by a state trooper. The trooper asked, “Why are these children not in car seats,” and she told him her story. The trooper’s reaction was not what you might expect.
The woman explained to the trooper that the only possessions the boys brought with them were the clothes on their back. Instead of ticketing the woman or lecturing her about how she should have been prepared for the boys, he asked for the woman’s contact information. So she gave it to him.
That night, the trooper’s wife contacted the foster mother and asked about how the boys were doing. She then explained that her husband, Officer Tidwell, wanted to meet with her. She agreed to meet him in Waverly.
When she arrived, Officer Tidwell was waiting, with an armful of gifts for the boys. Not only did he have gifts for the young boys in the woman’s care, but he also brought goodies for the boys’ older brother, who was separated from his family too.
Before that day, the boys had a negative outlook on law enforcement. Though the woman doesn’t go into much detail about their situation or what lead up to it, it is generally a police officer’s job to remove a child from the care of his or her parents. This can cause the children to have a negative outlook on law enforcement officers in general.
After that day, the boys went around telling everybody that police offers are nice. Officer Tidwell is just a single example of all the kind people that dedicate their lives to protecting and serving our country. Unfortunately, officers today are getting a bad rap, but hopefully, as the story of Officer Tidwell’s kindness spreads, people will see that there are still good cops left and that a few bad eggs don’t comprise the whole.
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