Trampoline park.
A Montana dad said teenagers are “some of the coolest people on the planet” after two older boys helped his young son at a trampoline park.
Now, one of the teen's moms is responding, telling TODAY.com she's thankful for the affirmation that she's "doing something right as a mother."
“If you live in Billings, Montana and your teenage sons were at Get Air (Trampoline Park) yesterday, you should be really proud of them — they’re awesome,” said a man who runs the TikTok account The Bearded Bard, in an April 6 video. The video caption read: “You two were the real MVPs yesterday. You rock.”
Showing a video of his 7-year-old son on a trampoline with two teens, the dad explained, “They started jumping with him and he just went with it” for approximately 45 minutes.
“They did all the jumping with him, they made sure to catch him if he was going to fall ... they had the best time, they were cracking up the whole time and helping him bounce higher,” he said. “At one point, I think they were trying to help him flip. It was amazing!”
The dad pointed out: “Those boys did not have to entertain my kid. At all. That’s my job to entertain my kid.”
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He said he was touched by the teens' generosity.
“(These are) the kinds of people that we need to be raising more of,” he said in the video. “Those guys didn’t know my kid from Adam ... but they were just on top of it. Helping him jump, helping him flip, just having a grand ‘ole time with him.”
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He concluded, “I don’t know why people say teenagers are disrespectful. I think a lot of the time they’re misunderstood. But they definitely can be some of the coolest people on the planet. So if you two — the two boys that were jumping with my kids — see this, thank you. I truly appreciate that.”
Shikai Bowens, one of the teens in the video, left a comment on the TikTok video: “Thank you, it was a very fun time!” His mom Malia Bowens chimed in: “That’s my son!!!! Makes me so proud, thank you. Good job, Shikai!”
The “Bearded Bard” did not immediately return a request for comment from TODAY.com. He wrote in the comments section of his post that he purchased Get Air gift cards for the teens.
Malia Bowens, a mother of six who is pregnant with her seventh child, tells TODAY.com that the TikTok video went viral in their small Billings community.
“I was a single mom before becoming pregnant with my seventh and I’ve spent countless nights crying myself to sleep, wondering if I am doing the right thing as a mother,” says Malia. “I’ve had criticism from every direction.”
Shikai, 16, tells TODAY.com that he and his friend Kaycee were at Get Air, one of his favorite places to hang out, a few weeks ago.
“This little boy asked us how he could do a backflip,” says Shikai. After giving pointers, the teens were planning to hit the foam pit but decided to stay and continue playing.
“We were into it,” says Shikai, whose little siblings are 8, 9, and 12. “It’s fun to be a good role model.”
According to Malia, Shikai is “a natural” around little kids.
“He is super funny and outgoing,” she says. “His gesture was small but the world needs it.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
