Being a five-year-old can be tough.
You’re waiting for school to come your way.
You are old enough for some things but forever too young for others.
For Vito (who turned 5 in April), the experience has been rough.
It began with the birth of another sister (he has two older sisters) on March 11 the very day the World Health Organization announced a pandemic was occurring.
The next week preschool was closed, and he couldn’t see any of his friends.
Things were not going well for Vito. He couldn’t even hang out with his grandfather because he has a chronic lung condition that makes him a high risk.
Vito’s entire life changed and in his 5-year-old eyes, not for the better.
Luckily, Vito has an older cousin named Vin.
“Vin recognized that his cousin Vito was facing a lot of changes and that most of these changes were having a negative impact on him,” Vin’s mom explains, “he told me that when he was Vito’s age, fishing with his big brother helped him escape from all the frustrations he was facing.”
While Vin has always been kind to his younger cousins, he usually would rather play on his PS4 than with the younger relatives. However, watching the young Vito struggle resonated with him.
Vin’s life has not always been positive. When he was 6 years old, he and his mother were victims of a violent home invasion. It happened in the early morning hours in 2012 only weeks before Vin started first grade. This single act of violence changed Vin’s entire life. Home wasn’t a safe place anymore.
“The trauma was intense, and because it occurred in our home it took away from us that sense of security and calm which being at home so often provides,” Vin’s mom shares.
But Vin found his calm, in nature. He learned about fishing from his older half-brother, T.J., and began fishing at age 3. Since then, the sport has become a huge source of relaxation and healing for Vin, especially in the months and years that followed the home invasion.
Being by the water not only provided Vin with a hobby, but it has also taught him patience, determination, and respect for nature. Something he is enjoying teaching to his young cousin just like his brother showed him.
Vin’s mom shares, “I hope that through this experience, Vin will learn that when we put positivity into the world around us, it helps us find positivity in our own lives.”
#WeRPositive the experience of spending time with Vin, has helped Vito greatly. Sometimes sharing time and something you love with another person is the best gift you can offer. Vin’s brother T.J. offered it to Vin, who is passing it on. Great job, Vin!
If you know of a young person who is reaching out or helping out in a big or small way, please share their story with us. We are on the search for do-gooders.
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