Man shares how some kids helped him find the joy of being a child again: 'Highlight of my week'

Kids truly know how to enjoy life and sometimes even adults have to learn from them. A man who had one such experience with the kids in his apartment complex took to the internet to share how they helped him feel like a child again. 

In a Reddit post, he wrote: "I live in an apartment complex that has a bunch of little kids." He said that he used to walk around in the complex during the COVID-19 lockdowns and during one of his walks, a kid launched a soccer ball in his direction. Without thinking about it much, the man headed the ball back to the kids. The kids were immediately impressed by his skills. "They said something like, 'WHOA! Do it again! Do it again!' And I was hesitant at first because I'm a bald 31-year-old with a large beard playing with a bunch of little kids," the Reddit user admitted. He was quick to tell them that their parents might not be comfortable seeing them playing with a "stranger." What he didn't realize at the time was that the kids' mom was watching them from her window. She yelled: "Please kick the ball around with them if you want to, I know you live across the hall I see you all the time!" 

Relieved, he played with the kids for the next two hours and "had a blast," the man shared.

After that, the kids started asking him to play with them every week. He wrote: "Now every Friday without fail a group of kids knocks on my door at 6 pm because they know I'm off work and want me to play some kind of game with them. We played freeze tag last Friday it was dope, I cheated and climbed a tree so they couldn't get me." 

The whole experience with the children made him "feel like a kid again and it truly is a highlight to my week," he wrote. That's not all. The kids' mother also brings him fresh homemade tamales at least once every two weeks, the Reddit user revealed, adding that she "refuses to let him pay" for them. 

People on social media could resonate with how he was feeling. One Reddit user wrote: "I've experienced a similar thing with our complex kids, however, I have a two-year-old daughter in the crew. I'm 41 and the kids range from 2-12. From just after 5 pm until 6, I play soccer, catch, whiffle ball, rock one boy's skateboard, nerf guns... whatever we have on hand. No other parents get involved and I'm out there like I'm in Elementary School and it's awesome." Another shared, "Having a healthy relationship with a nonrelative adult is important, gives a standard of what normal should be. Glad you're having fun and the kids are getting some positive examples of adult life." Another said, "Congratulations, you're their new uncle :)"

Talking about feeling like a kid, Muhammed Ali, the professional boxer, once became a kid in the boxing ring with a little child. In a wholesome video that resurfaced on the internet a while ago, the boy can be seen wearing little boxing gloves and punching Ali several times. The legendary boxer plays along, getting down on the floor by the end of the clip and declaring that he lost. The referee raises the hand of the little child to show that he won. The video won many hearts on social media. A Twitter user commented, "Beautiful clip. Thanks for sharing. he bowed to none, except love." Another added, "Absolutely!! And a showman to the core. What an adorable video."