One of the most joyous parts of childhood is hanging out with friends. But friendship isn’t just about having a good time. These relationships give kids a sense of belonging, self-esteem and help them develop vital social skills.
That’s why it’s devastating for kids to be ostracized and bullied by their peers.
A young boy named Shayden in Amarillo, Texas, was so in need of friends that he went door to door to try to find some his age. He stopped by Brennan and Angel Ray’s home, and the interaction was caught on their doorbell camera.
“I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around, like, 11 or 12, maybe, because I need some friends. Really bad,” Shayden told Brennan through the doorbell camera. Unfortunately, they don’t have any kids Shayden’s age, so Brennan tried to redirect him to another house on the block. “Well, um, they’re not my friends anymore because they’re bullies to me,” Shayden admitted.
After learning that the Ray family only has a 2-year-old daughter, Shayden replied: “They’re just like the most cutest things I have ever known.”
@brennanray Its takes 2 seconds to make someones day, you never know what people are going through until you get a chance to talk to them. This young man is well mannered, kind, and brave. So tiktok can we help shayden make some friends???#fyp #bekind #nobullying #love #kindness #letschangetheworld
The fact that Shayden had to knock on doors to find someone his age to play with is an unfortunate thing to watch.”
“He is like my younger brother. I hope he finds some true friends and that he doesn’t continue to get bullied, no one should get bullied,” Tiktok user krive’s girlfriend commented on the post.
“Awww, this breaks my heart, I was bullied all through school, and I was miserable all the time. Poor kid. I hope life gets better for him,” Shayne Moss added.
The video went mega-viral on TikTok, receiving over 67 million views. So the Rays used their notoriety to help their new friend by creating a GoFundMe to help Shayden and his family.
“We are raising money to help buy him a gaming system, school clothes and hopefully some amusement park tickets and anything else he may want or need,” the Ray family wrote on GoFundMe. “100% of the donations will be given directly to Shayden and his family, he may raise enough to take a family trip. Let’s continue to show kindness to Shayden, and raise awareness for bullying and suicide prevention!”
@brennanray We finally got to meet Shayden! He had the same energy in person as he did over the doorbell camera. A pure bundle of joy. We have exciting news for yall coming soon, stay tuned! 💪🏽💪🏽 #fyp #shaydenstrong #kind #happy #sweetkid
The Ray family paid a visit to Shayden’s family, and in a follow-up video, they saw his rock collection and some funny videos he loves watching online.
“We finally got to meet Shayden!” the Ray family wrote on TikTok. “He had the same energy in person as he did over the doorbell camera. A pure bundle of joy.”
While it’s depressing to see that Shayden had to go to such lengths to find a new friend, it’s beautiful to see how the public reacted to the story and did what they could to bring some joy into him and his family’s life. Even though Shayden may have trouble making friends right now, the outpouring he’s received should let him know that he is loved and that there are many great people in this world who can’t wait to meet him.