Lafayette Teen Spotted Assisting Elderly Woman in Parking Lot

(Lafayette, Louisiana) -  After what I witnessed in a Lafayette parking lot, maybe it's time to quit saying that kids or teens are what we were years ago.

If you know me, I go to the grocery store a few times a week, as I like walking around evaluating things these days.

Although many people prefer to shop from home, I enjoy going out because it allows me to see many wonderful things in public. I had this experience this week at a Lafayette grocery store.

As I was driving to the store, I saw a teenage boy assisting his mother with getting groceries into their vehicle, and once they were done, I saw his mother direct his attention to a car across from them.

As she was pointing, I looked across the driving lane in the parking lot, and an elderly woman was loading her groceries into her vehicle. The mother of the teenage boy was directing her son to assist her, and he did so without any hesitation.

I could see that the elderly woman really appreciated the young man's assistance, and as they finished up loading her bags of groceries into her car, I saw her put her hand into her purse. Yes, the elderly woman went into her purse to get money to tip the young man, and he appeared to refuse her money politely.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw that was the young man's mother, she has raised him well, and if he doesn't appreciate it now, he will one day. Then, I thought about the elderly woman; she had to have been so appreciative of this young man. I know she appreciated his generosity for her drive home, and I hope she left with a good feeling in her heart.

I'm sharing this with you not only to highlight the actions of the teenage boy in the Lafayette parking lot, but I also want to share this with you because too often, bad stories dominate social media, while good ones are underrepresented.

In recent weeks, we've seen just how "ugly" this world can be, but when there's some positivity out there, like people helping others, we need to stop and applaud those who are doing great things out there.

And look, even with all the discouraging news stories out there, we must not give up on each other. A simple gesture by you can make someone's day better, and collectively, we can all make this world a better place if we're just nice to one another.

To that young man who assisted the elderly woman in Lafayette, THANK YOU for reminding me that there still are great people out there, even if it comes from those in the younger generation.