When deciding how to spend the $15 he got for his birthday, this adorable young boy chose to heed a powerful life lesson his parents taught him and his two brothers.
Parker Williams may only be 9-years-old but he's already shaping up to be a special young man. While most boys his age wouldn't think twice before blowing up their birthday allowance on toys or video games, this little sweetheart decided to use it in a manner that's got netizens swooning over his kind soul. Rather than splurge the $15 he got for his birthday on himself, young Parker chose to heed a powerful life lesson his parents have instilled in him and his two brothers: Pay it forward.
Taking the powerful mantra to heart, this young gentleman decided that he'd use the money to "do something nice" for the one person he believes has "the most important job": his teacher. Speaking to CNN affiliate WFLA, Parker said, "Well, I think she's a really kind teacher, and she has her own way of teaching and she spends time on everybody." He revealed that he didn't have to think much about how he'd use his birthday money. After a week of careful consideration and planning, the Tampa third-grader decided that his "nice and kind" teacher at Gorrie Elementary deserved to make more money.
Putting his family's "pay it forward" motto into practice, young Parker came to the conclusion that he'd give his third-grade teacher, Mrs. Chambers, a raise with his own money. Not telling a single soul about the grand gesture he had planned, one night the Florida boy sat down to write a note. "Dear Mrs. Chambers, I don't think that teachers get paid enough for what they do, so, will you accept this gift?" Parker wrote, attaching $15 in a ziplock bag to the note.
The following day he walked into class and handed over his gift to Mrs. Chambers who was quite overwhelmed by her student's sweet gesture. "She was really happy. It felt really good," Parker recalled with a huge smile on his face, adding that he felt good when she smiled at him and gave him a hug. Parker's mom, Jennifer Williams, revealed that she had no idea her son was planning something like this. "The first reaction was my eyes welling up with tears that my son had that reaction all on his own, that he would do that. I cried. We never knew he did this until we found the note in his backpack," she said.
As for the "raise" Parker offered Mrs. Chambers, she politely declined his gift with the reply, "I can't accept this but appreciate the gesture, Parker. Students like you are the reason I teach." She also drew a smiley face on the young boy's note along with her response. For Parker, however, the reward was already received. "It made me feel really nice and good," he said, revealing that the incident reminded him that paying it forward always pays off.
"I think more people should be nice, it’s a better thing to do than being mean," the wise third grader stated, crediting his parents for instilling such values in him. "We’ve said to them, when you plant seeds, you never know what will blossom," said the young boy's proud mother.