Mom Finds Her Son Kneeling in Walmart. Then She Looks Up and Starts to Cry

When a mother lost her child while shopping in Walmart, she started to panic. She quickly located him kneeling at the front gate of the store, but when she saw what he was doing, she started to cry.

Naomi had taken Harry to Walmart countless times before, as it was only five minutes from their house. They often frequented the store when they wanted to buy food items or things for around the house. It was very much a convenience to have such a large and fully stocked shop in such close proximity.

But, just like many other visits, Harry tagged along next to his mom, dragging his feet and complaining about having to walk around the store. At seven years old, Harry found the idea of shopping unimaginably boring. Who wanted to wander around the shop when you could be outside playing or having fun? There were so many better things to do, and Harry didn’t believe his mother appreciated that fact.

He would often drop behind and then run to catch up to Naomi. It was his way of trying to make the whole boring experience at least a little bit more fun. There’s nothing fun about shopping, especially when you’re a kid.

What’s exciting or interesting about following your parent around as they pick up boring food items or boring clothes? Nothing. Sure, there were colorful toy aisles where kids could go and browse the latest fun releases, but there was so much to choose from, and no kid could have it all if they were allowed to buy anything at all. And so, that’s what caused Harry to drag behind his mother, huffing and sighing. Shopping was so boring.

As Naomi browsed the shelves, she would regularly turn around and tell her son to hurry up and catch up. He would always do so with some complaint. She would often give him a little warning to behave himself, as she didn’t want to have to tell him off in public. Harry was an independent and strong little boy, and he liked to get his own way.

That was certainly a trait that he inherited from his mother. Still, the middle of a Walmart was no time for Harry to go rogue, and Naomi made sure to indirectly remind her son of that. She loved him with all of her heart but knew how much of a handful he could be when he got bored.

But on one such occasion, when Naomi turned around and looked to check on her boy, she found that Harry was not there. She scanned around and noticed that he was nowhere to be seen. She started to worry. Maybe he was at the end of the aisle. Naomi quickly retraced her steps and looked at the end of the aisles to find that, no, her son wasn’t there. Panic started to set in a little now.

Where could he be? They had not long since passed the toy aisle. Perhaps Harry had gotten drawn into the toys and games down there, abandoning her shopping cart.

Naomi rushed to the aisle and jogged up and down it, looking for any trace of her boy. But there was not. She was really starting to panic now, and her heart was beating out of her chest. This was not like Harry. He would complain about coming to the store with her, but he never, ever wandered too far. And that was the most scary thing of all.

The only other time that Harry had wandered off was in a toy store. He had been looking for a certain toy and ran off in excitement. The store was filled with children of Harry’s age and height, so when Naomi couldn’t find him, she went into a blind panic.

Every child seemed to look the same, and she couldn’t locate her boy. It was not until several of the store employees intervened and helped Naomi search that Harry was found. It had really given his mother a scare, though she was certain to give him a telling off for not sticking by her side.

But that was in a toy store, full of kids and colorful, exciting things that Harry loved. A Walmart was not comparable to a toy store. There were very few kids, and beyond the toy aisle, absolutely nothing that Harry would have found remotely interesting. And that’s what terrified Naomi the most.

Why would he have wandered off, and where was he? What could Naomi do? How would she find Harry? He was her only son, and she loved him so very dearly. If he ever went missing, she didn’t know what she would do.

Running towards the front of the shop, she searched for an employee. Perhaps they could put out an announcement on the store speakers asking for Harry to come to the front desk or something like that. Maybe they could look at their security cameras to try to locate the poor missing boy.

But suddenly, Naomi stopped in her tracks as she noticed something at the front of the store, next to the entrance of the Walmart. Just inside the store was a metal bench. People often sat and rested there for a moment after shopping, before they headed out into the parking lot to their vehicles. The bench was empty at that current time, but there, in front of it, was Harry. He was kneeling down and facing the wall, doing who knows what.

Naomi felt her fear and worry start to melt away and suddenly become replaced with a mixture of anger and relief. She was, of course, glad that she had found Harry, but she was angry that he would wander off from her without even letting her know. Marching towards the bench, it was clear that Harry was in for quite the telling off.

But when Naomi saw what he was doing, she became confused. He had his little hands clasped together in front of him. He also had his eyes crunched tightly, and he was mouthing words. There was no way that Naomi could make out what her son was whispering, but she understood that he must have been saying something.

Harry’s mom wondered what was going on, but as she walked closer, she realized he was praying. But why? Maybe he was praying for someone that he had seen in the store. Perhaps he was thinking about something that had happened that day at school.

Maybe Harry really wanted something and was praying to get it while they were in the store. The truth was, Naomi had no idea what was causing her son to pray. All she knew was that she had stopped in her tracks and was watching him curiously.

Naomi’s eyes darted around to look for clues as to why Harry was praying. There was no one else around, really, except for a few shoppers that really didn’t look like they needed praying for. Everything looked normal, fine, and exactly as it should do. There was nothing that indicated what had set Harry off praying, and she doubted he would even tell her if she asked him. But at that moment, Naomi’s eyes drifted upwards and went wide with shock.

Above the bench where Harry was kneeling was a large bulletin board. On that board were several A4 posters of missing children who were from families in the area. It was actually shocking to Naomi that so many children had gone missing. She had never really paid attention to that bulletin board.

Underneath the many images was a tagline that said how every single moment counted in finding these kids and reuniting them with their families. Every day that passed was another day without hope or joy for these poor people.

Naomi’s eyes suddenly lowered back down to Harry, and that’s when she noticed that the young boy was praying to God for the safe return of these children. At that realization, any remaining anger or frustration in Naomi disappeared, and she burst into tears.

She was so touched by the moment that she took a photo of her son through tear-filled eyes and posted it to Facebook, where it quickly garnered nearly 115,000 shares and even more likes from people with all sorts of religious beliefs or indeed no religious beliefs at all. Harry’s simple and kind act really touched people’s hearts.

But it was the words of one Facebook commenter that really summed up the special little moment: “Whether or not you believe in God really doesn’t matter. This was a child in Walmart who was thinking about others and doing the only thing he could to help. The world would be a better place if everyone followed his example.”

So, what did you think of this incredible story? How would you have reacted if you’d seen your child praying at the front of Walmart?