Most parents are afraid of what a lot of time online might inspire in their kids, but Ethan Simons does not have to worry about that with his nine-year-old son.
Ethan often worried that his son Nathan spent too much time online. He tried keeping a close eye over what Nathan would watch but wasn’t always able to.
Fortunately, Nathan made it clear what he watched, and it made Ethan proud.
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The videos Nathan watched were of other people doing good deeds. For example, one clip showed a group donating to a homeless shelter. Nathan decided he wanted to do that, too.
Nathan approached his dad with a wish: He wanted to give back by donating the money he saved.
“I told my dad a couple hours later when I got done watching the video, ‘I wanna do what they did,'” Nathan told WQAD.
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Ethan didn’t know if it was a good idea for his son to donate all the money he had, but in the end, not only did Ethan go along with his son’s wishes, he also promised to match his son’s donations.
“There was part of me that almost wanted me to talk him out of it,” Ethan says. “But what kind of lesson am I teaching him if I tell him, ‘No, you shouldn’t be selfless.'”
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Nathan’s first plan of action was to research local homeless shelters. When he got in contact with one — Christian Care in Rock Island — he made a list of all the supplies they needed. From there, it was off to the grocery store.
“I got my list, and it’s for what we need to buy for the homeless shelter,” Nathan said.
The father and son took out $150 from both Nathan and Ethan’s accounts, leaving only a few dollars in Nathan’s to keep it active.
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Afterward, the two went to the Silvis Walmart to buy the essentials: gloves, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and shoes. With his remaining cash, Nathan bought cookies and cake pops.
“It makes me feel happy and proud of myself,” he said. “It’s just hard to give it away sometimes. But I’m thinking … about other people.”
Nathan and his father then brought the items to the shelter.
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“It feels good,” Nathan said. “I wish I could have it myself, but I have to think about other people sometimes.”
Inspired by others, Nathan decided to give back to his community. At only nine-years-old, Nathan understands the importance of helping others. He even convinced his father to give back. The more people help, the more others are inspired by their kindness, and the more good is done in the world.
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