There’s nothing as special in this life as having a friend, nothing can bring a smile to your face faster than knowing you’ve got someone on your team, acknowledging that someone has your back. In the same breath, there’s nothing more heartwrenching than feeling like you’re going through life without one, and the idea of going through life without friends has been the talk of social media through the last week after the vulnerability of a kid who was brave enough to ring a doorbell.
In a viral TikTok video, Shayden Walker approached his neighbor’s home and asked the people there if they knew of any nearby kids he could hang out with, and the reason behind his asking will bring tears to your eyes.
“I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around like 11 or 12, maybe because I need…I need some friends like really bad,” Shayden says to the man who answered the ring doorbell. After learning that there are kids of similar age nearby, Shayden reveals that those kids have turned into his bullies, and he doesn’t feel comfortable reaching out to them.
It’s not just the fact that he’s been bullied; the defeat in his face and voice as he explains it pulls on your heartstrings. We’ve all been there; kids can be cruel, but the devastation in his presence as he opens up is enough to ignite a fire in your heart; and his pleas for a friend reached someone who is determined to help him out of his current situation and into a realm where he feels confident enough to say hello and make a new friend, without worrying about the past and the hurt he’s been caused.
Rener Gracie felt compelled to get in touch with Walker’s family after the video reached him on social media, and there’s no one better to set out to help him.
You might recognize Gracie from his stint on Shark Tank, where he showcased the QuikFlip and made a deal with Lori Greiner. Gracie also has a Kickstarter open now for his next creation, the Sleeper Hold, and we think it’s safe to say that jiu-jitsu isn’t just in his blood; it’s at the root of everything he does.
Another thing at the root of what Gracie does is helping children, especially by building confidence and skill; sometimes, that makes all the difference. It’s hard to put your best foot forward when you’re not feeling confident, especially at the age of preteen awkwardness and the stage of life when you realize that there are social circles and sometimes not everyone you meet will necessarily be your close-knit group; it can be challenging. As adults, we too can face challenges when it comes to navigating our identity within social groups, despite having fully developed brains.
At the age that Shayden is at, friends are one of — if not the most important thing, and realizing that he’s just one of many kids who walk around and feel that loneliness daily is heartbreaking. It might sound cliche, but in becoming a parent, you acknowledge that a piece of your heart walks around in the world every day, but it doesn’t take being a parent to feel hurt when a child deals with bullying and isolation.
Sharing the same video to his own TikTok, Gracie offered to send Shayden to Torrance for the bullyproof summer camp he’s hosting and send the family to Disneyland.
“He needs help. We’ll fly this kid to Torrance for the Gracie Bullyproof Summer Camp (July 31 to Aug 4); all expenses paid (+ tickets to Disneyland) if anyone can connect us to the family. BullyproofSummerCamp.com — This is what we do.”
The camp helps kids learn the art of jiu-jitsu and how important it is to stand up for yourself. Gracie remarks that every kid will be bullied sometime in their life, which is true, and his camp helps to prepare children for what to do when that happens and have the skills to stand up for themselves if things escalate.
Gracie’s website shows some of the following highlights that happen when children advance through the week-long camp:
- “Bullies target children who don’t stand up for themselves. By giving your child the non-violent Gracie Jiu-Jitsu techniques to neutralize a physical attack, they will have the confidence to take a stand against bullies before the harassment spirals out of control.
- Verbal harassment is more common and oftentimes more damaging than physical harassment. To ensure your child is ready to identify and overcome these inevitable attacks, we conduct a series of specific role-playing exercises each day of the camp.”
We’ve yet to hear if the family has reached out to Gracie yet, but we have a feeling that they’ll find one another soon enough and that Walker’s story will soon have a very different message; one of overcoming loneliness, finding friends and more importantly — believing in the power of himself. His kindness and compassion for others were evident as he spoke in the few moments long video, and we have a feeling he’s on his way to meeting the kind of people who appreciate all the best things about him.
Here’s hoping we get an update video soon, and in the meantime, may we all remember that how we treat people matters.
