Mum's life lesson to her daughter is crushed by a stranger... but she learns something else
It's important we teach our children that they can't always get what they want, and other life lessons that sometimes can feel a little harsh.
But teaching them from a young age ensures they don't have a sense of entitlement when they're older.
Nonetheless, sometimes you just want to keep giving, no one enjoys seeing their children upset, ever.
It can often be tough for parents to decide when they're going to teach their children these lessons too, debating when the right time really is.
But one mum had it down to a tee, until a stranger threw a spanner in the works.
Brea Schmidt was at the fair with her five-year-old daughter, who was desperately trying to win herself a 'Poppy' doll at the three for $1 tickets booth.
But her little girl didn't win, no matter how many times she spent her dollars, there was disappointment at every ticket:
"Every time we tried, we lost… and each time she sweetly asked for another dollar for another try, until it got to the point where it had been enough."
"She knew it was her last dollar, and on the very last ticket she had, she opened it slowly, holding it up close to her face to peak inside and see if the magic number was there. But it wasn't. Again."
And despite the five-year-old's best efforts to keep herself composed, the youngster burst into tears, flying into her mother's arms with devastation; she really wanted that doll.
Heartbroken that her little girl felt this way, Brea hugged her tight, taking in each sob, thinking about whether she should take out the dollar that was burning a hole in her pocket.
But Mum held tight, she decided this was the time to explain life isn't always sunshine and roses: "I got to a point where I knew I had to keep that dollar bill in my pocket and give her the life lesson speech."
"Then I heard the voice of a fellow mum who saw my daughter's tears and had been watching her open all of those tickets with excitement."
The strange woman at the fair stand reached into her pocket, taking out another dollar bill, hoping she would win the doll for this little girl who was sad at her loss.
And she won.
Brea shared: "The look on my daughter's face was the absolute best. Nothing but pure, five-year-old thrill shining through the leftover tears and snot on her face. She picked out her doll, hugged and thanked the woman."
But the mum-of-three understood while she may have missed out on the 'you can't always get what you want lesson', she believes there was still an important lesson to be learned from the event.
Asking her daughter what she learned from the event, the five-year-old remembered the stranger buying her an extra ticket felt good, with Mum explaining that sometimes when you see someone sad, it's nice to be nice.
"While that woman threw a wrench in my original life-lesson-dealing plan, the one she had stored in her heart was just as important."
There are lessons to be learned around every corner mums, it's up to us to show our children how they can happen – what a wonderful story to share.
Has anything special like this happened to your children?