Deanna Hooker couldn’t be more proud of her son Jayden. At only 5-years-old, he has the compassion and empathy that most of us can only dream of having.
After violent protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jayden felt like he needed to do something. The protests erupted after a police officer fatally shot 43-year-old Kevin Lamont Scott. The public was outraged and responded with violence.
Deanna says that her son, who is only a kindergartner, asked her if he could visit police officers that had been injured during the protests.
She wasn’t surprised by this at all because she considers him an old soul. Not to mention — the protests happened just three and a half miles from Deanna and Jayden’s home. When she asked him why he wanted to visit those police officers, his response is enough to make you swoon.
“I want to give them hugs so they’re not scared,” he told his mom.
During the chaos of the protest demonstration, helicopters flew over Deanna and Jayden’s house. It was so loud that it had woken the 5-year-old from his sleep, he called for his mom because he was scared and confused. She tried her best to explain what was going on.
The morning after the protests, the compassionate kindergartner saw on the news that officers had been hurt just 3 miles away. He immediately felt the need to visit them.
“It’s something that he asked us and when we said no he kept persisting to do it,” Deanna told CBS News. “It kind of opened our eyes and we eventually said yes because it’s a beautiful thing.”
After Jayden got out of school, Deanna took her son to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. He had glazed donuts and a sign around his neck that read “Free Hugs.” The 5-year-old could hardly contain his excitement as they pulled into the parking lot.
When Jayden walked into the police department wearing his adorable and touching sign — he had everyone in tears.
“I’m so proud of my son,” Deanna said. “I think it honestly shows you that a 5-year-old can teach us a lot about how we should treat each other during times like these.”
Deanna has tried to teach her son that violence is never the answer. Even when someone is mean to you, or hits you — it’s never okay to hit back. This is the lesson she has always tried to teach her son. It’s clear that the message resonated with him.
“Hate doesn’t do anything but spread the hate; it’s his mission to spread love and positivity,” Deanna said. “He’s a very cool kid.”
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