Remember when your parents taught you “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all?”
Well, one dad discovered that sometimes there are even adults who forget this very important lesson.
Luc Perreault was out testing his mother’s motorbike when he stopped at a Tim Horton’s in Ontario, Canada.
A little girl waved “hi,” but you wouldn’t believe what happened next.
Luc is a big guy. He loves riding his motorcycles. He loves to drink beer.
He has a lot of tattoos and he’s got a mustache and a beard.
But he also has a huge heart.
He still has a lot of problems and insecurities, just like everyone else.
And that’s okay because he knows he’s just like other people, who have their own troubles.
That’s why he does his best not to judge other people.
Well, not everyone felt the same way as him.
And that’s what he experienced during that coffee stop.
As he said, he’s a big guy and most people would be afraid if they come across him.
He said he “look[ed] like he “ would eat your soul if you stare at [him] wrong.”
Well, at the coffee shop, a little girl noticed him.
But instead of being scared of him, she actually said “hi.”
Luc, surprised but loving the warm welcome, said hello back.
Normally, other parents would be proud when their little children display strong personalities and choose to be kind.
Unfortunately, this little girl’s mother was not as open-minded.
When she saw her daughter talking to Luc, she quickly pulled her away from him.
As they walked off, Luc overheard her mother telling the little girl that she wasn’t allowed to talk to “dirty bikers.”
This broke Luc’s heart. While he makes an effort not to judge other people based on their appearance, sadly, not everyone thinks the way he does.
Disappointed with how the mother reacted in front of her daughter, he wrote a powerful message on his Facebook profile.
“To the family in the red SUV at Tim Horton’s today,
Yes I am a big 280 lbs guy with motorcycles and full of tattoos. I am a welder, I am loud, I drink beer, I swear and I look like I would eat your soul if you stare at me wrong.”
The dad continued:
“What you don’t know is that I have been happily married for 11 years, my kids call me daddy, I am a college graduate… My mother is proud of me and tells everyone how lucky she is to have such a wonderful son, my nieces and nephews are always happy to see there m’noncl Luc…
When my daughter broke her arm, I cried more than she did. I read books, I help people, I go out of my way to thank war veterans and I even cried at Armageddon.”
Luc went on to say:
“So next time I smile and say hi to your little girl and you grab her and tell her, ‘No no dear, we don’t talk to dirty bikers’… Remember that even tho you hurt my feelings, this ‘dirty biker’ would be the first person to run into your burning house to save your little girls goldfish so she wouldn’t be sad! – L.P.”
His family and friends loved what he wrote and shared it online too.
Before he knew it, Luc’s post went viral!
The Facebook post has been shared more than 4,200 times since he first posted it.
It’s a great reminder that you should never judge a book by its cover – and always, ALWAYS, treat others with kindness.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
