Gavin Mabes and his friends saw a five-year-old who was a little different. How they reacted to him was caught on camera.
Carter Brunnell was playing in the skatepark one day. It was his fifth birthday, and his mom had taken him to the venue to celebrate.
Then Gavin Mabes and his friends entered the park.
Carter’s mom, Kristen, got ready to whisk the boy away. Carter has autism. Large groups of people can make him nervous.
But then something shocking happened.
Kristin told CBS News:
“It was unlike any experience I think I’ve ever had.”
Gavin led his friends up to Carter. Then Gavin asked Carter if he wanted to ride on his skateboard.
Carter happily said yes. Soon, Gavin was showing Carter the ropes. Carter soon fell off the skateboard, but he didn’t mind. And Gavin lifted him right back up.
Gavin and his friends kept on showing Carter how to skateboard.
Then Carter revealed that it was his birthday. So the teenagers all sang Happy Birthday to the kid – helping make it even more memorable.
Kristin later shared:
“That really blew me away. Because you just want to see the kindness in the world. And I wanted Carter to have a good birthday.”
Carter’s mom was amazed by the whole experience.
The doctors had told her that Carter would struggle to make friends. But the opposite was happening right before her eyes!
Since their first meeting, Carter, Gavin, and Gavin’s friends have continued to play.
The young teens all really enjoy seeing Carter.
They often cross paths at the skatepark. And naturally, they always play together.
It makes sense when you think about it. A five-year-old can be a lot of fun to be around, even when you’re a middle-schooler.
Gavin’s mom, Deanette, later heard about what happened.
Like many mothers of teens, she sometimes worried about how Gavin acted when she wasn’t around. But now she had been given a glimpse. Naturally, she was happy with what she saw.
Deanette Mabes said:
“I was just so proud of him. He’s good.”
Gavin’s kind actions have shown many people how to be a good person. CBS’ report on what happened appeared on YouTube, where it soon went viral.
To date, it has gained over 3.4 million views. It also has more than 91,000 likes and 2,800 comments. People have been saying things like:
“Now, that’s how we all should treat each other with kindness and respect. We could learn from the teenagers who showed a little 5 yr old Autism kid that they can be friends. The parents of the teens really raised their children right.”
Someone else wrote:
“This is so amazing it makes you realize that [there] is still kindness in the world.”
Another viewer commented:
“I’m a 40 something hardened Marine and I can’t stop crying while watching this.”
There’s no question that people like Gavin are great examples to others.
Press play on the video below to see this heartwarming story for yourself!
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