The stranger who was touched by the young mother’s parenting skills is a father of one.
Ken Saunders, who is 50 years old, said that he felt that he had to write a special message praising the single mother. He said Samantha Welch is a ‘credit to her generation’ after observing her taking care of her son Ryan, who is three years old. From the short time that he watched them, he was able to deduce that Samantha was indeed a wonderful mother.
She was so thankful for the money as well.
Mr. Saunders, from Brinkworth, Wiltshire, had given Samantha a small folded note and the money as he alighted from the train. The train was headed to Plymouth, at Bristol Parkway from Birmingham New Street. All this happened on Thursday evening.
Ken handed Miss Welch the note because he believed she was a ‘great role model’ to young mothers. Her son Ryan reminded him of his own daughter who is now 20 years old. He recalled when Romani was at the tender age of 3 and knew how children at that age were quite a handful.
Samantha thanked him and told him that he had made such an impact. She said he had no idea what he had actually done for them in that moment. She knows she looked shocked at first. She said it was because she couldn’t believe it.
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Then when she turned to look for him, she only saw her reflection in the glass. He had disappeared into the night and she thought she had missed her chance of saying thank you.
The note said:
“Have a drink on me. You are a credit to your generation, polite and teaching the little boy good manners. P.S. I have a daughter your age… Hope when she has children she is as good a mother as you!”
It was signed off simply as ‘man on the train with glasses and hat. Have a lovely evening.’ When Mr. Saunders approached the young mother, he had told her that she had dropped something. As she looked around to check what it was, he had left the note. He had then disappeared off the train before she was aware of his generous gesture. When she read the note, she wanted to offer her gratitude but the man was gone.
The 23-year-old mother decided to track Mr. Saunders to personally thank him. She took to Facebook and posted her situation so she could get as much help as possible in finding the man from the train.
There was a nationwide response to her search. Mr. Saunders who works as a project manager for NHS was overwhelmed. He had not thought that such a gesture would have a nationwide effect.
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During the journey on the train, Samantha kept Ryan busy by playing games and listening to music. Her son later fell asleep. The train got busier and she took Ryan onto her lap so as to free up a seat.
Mr. Saunders told MailOnline that he got on the train and noticed the lovely little boy and his young mother. He had been on his way home from work. As he watched them he couldn’t help but recall his own daughter back in the day. The young boy was boisterous and playful just as his daughter had been at that age.
When he had coughed, his mother had told him to cover his mouth. He said “what?” and she said, “say pardon”. It was such a difference compared to the maligned young people of today. It was so refreshing to see her teaching him correct manners. Mr. Saunders was really impressed. He was touched at her effort to ensure her son should have correct manners.
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He says he was even more moved when she chose to make room for a man to sit down. The train was so crowded. She could have chosen to let her son occupy that seat but instead, she chose to be kind took him up on her lap to free the seat he was occupying. It was a wonderful thing to do.
When Mr. Saunders was about to get off the train, he pulled out his ticket and noticed that he had a fiver on him. He thought that maybe he should slip it into a handbag but realized that might have led to a misunderstanding and he could end up being told off.
So he decided it would be better to give it to her instead. He left the train before she could fathom what it was that had been handed to her.
Mr. Saunders said he thought the boy was such a nice kid. He reminded him of his own kids when they were younger. Samantha’s actions made him happy and got him smiling. He thought she was such a great role model. She was the kind of mother other younger mothers should mimic.
Because she had brightened up his night and brought a smile to his face after a long day, he decided that he would do the same for her. He gave her the fever he had found and was sure that the gesture would make her evening.
Despite his kind and generous gesture, Mr. Saunders does not think he is any special. In fact, he thinks that there are a lot of nice people out there and people ought to be reminded of that. He just took an opportunity to encourage a young mother.
Watching Miss Welch and her young son on the train had left him thinking about his own daughter who had told him that she had once been on the receiving end of a random act of kindness from a complete stranger. That’s why as far as he is concerned what he did was not strange or special.
He simply wanted to brighten up the day for the young mother as she had done for him albeit without knowing she has done so.
Ms. Welch spoke of the judgment that single mothers get every day. People look at her and presume so many things just because she is a single mom.
But getting that note made her feel like she was special. She felt very proud. She knows it might sound very silly to some people but she is trying to make a better life for her son. Ryan is her priority and she is doing her best for him. She admits that money is tight these days, not just for her, but for a lot of people.
She took the initiative to put the money into Ryan’s savings account.