Score this one in the parenting win column.
Mike Jackson, of Murdock Road, gave his daughter, Harper, a deactivated iPhone so she could text, use FaceTime, and play games. But he knows his daughter very well, and since she is like most 8 year olds, he prepared for the inevitable – a lost iPhone.
So he wrote on a piece of paper, "If found, please call [Mike's cellphone number]," took a picture of the paper and saved it as her phone's wallpaper. That way, if someone turned the phone on, they would see the message and (hopefully) call him.
While it was a good plan, realistically, Mike figured if she lost the phone, it would probably stay lost.
On Sunday, Dec. 4, at around 3:15 p.m., he received a call.
On the other end was a young man who said he'd found an iPhone with Mike's number on the wallpaper. Mike was surprised and relieved, gave the young man his address, and with a "Perfect. I'll be over in a bit to drop it off," they hung up.
The phone was found on the other side of the Forge from where the Jacksons live, so returning the phone meant crossing the neighborhood. Mike wasn't too concerned. While the caller sounded young, he figured a parent would likely drive him over. Imagine his surprise when, 20 minutes later, a knock at the door revealed not a parent helping his child do the right thing while teaching him a valuable lesson, but three young men, between the ages of 10 and 13, with no adult present, doing the right thing all on their own. In addition to finding Harper's phone, they also found Harper's friend's phone, which was left behind with a USB charging unit. They returned everything.
Mike was amazed and offered the boys a $20 reward. The hassle alone was well worth that much, but these young men refused the money without hesitation. Mike insisted, but again, they declined his offer. So Mike tried a third time and still they politely refused. Mike explained, "I got the double whammy, first I had two iPhones returned to me and then the heroes refused the reward. I have to say it left me a little dizzy."
When asked if he had a message for these young men, whose names he was too stunned to catch, he gave this: "To the parents of these gentlemen — and I stress the word gentlemen — well done! They [and you] deserve a pat on the back. I hope Karma finds them quickly. Unfortunately these events don't happen often enough. I wish they did. Regardless, it left me in wonderment at the end."
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