An 11-year-old boy who said it was his “dream” to honk a fire engine’s horn managed to build up the courage to chase that dream when the opportunity arose.
Taylor Mosley lives in Florida, and on a recent trip to a gas station with her son, Easton, an enormous fire truck pulled in to fuel up.
Mosley told Newsweek that when she noticed the truck she “dared” her son to ask to honk it, and he immediately said that he would.
But Mosley herself had been a “nervous, shy” child, who “needed reassurance.” So she got Easton to ask his dad whether it would be OK—and his dad encouraged him to go for it, leading to a sweet, now-viral moment.
In a video posted to Mosley’s TikTok account @themosleymess on March 30, she wrote: “Your son sees a fire truck pull up next to you in a gas station and says his only dream in life is to honk the horn.
“So you encourage him to follow his dreams, the worst they can do is say no.”
In it, an excited Easton tells his mom he’s going to ask the firefighter: “Can I honk y’all’s horn? It’s kind of my dream.”
And as the firefighters emerge from the gas station, Mosley records her son asking the question, admitting, “I think I was more nervous than he was.”
Luckily however, the firefighters smile and lead him to the truck, as his mom laughs in delight while sitting in the car.
TikTok @themosleymess
Seconds later, two ear-splitting honks crash through the gas station: Easton has fulfilled his dream, and as he hops out of the engine, he and his mother thank the rescue workers.
“That was awesome,” a beaming Easton says as he gets back into the car. “It was so loud I hurt my ears. That was amazing.”
And Mosley wrote: “They were so nice to let him do that.”
TikTok users were full of praise, with one commenter writing: “This generation of kids are so fearless and emotionally intelligent and kind and empathetic.”
“You’re raising such a sweetheart,” another told Mosley, as one said, “Firefighters are the nicest people.”
One comenter who says they were a firefighter wrote: “This warms my heart. Those guys were probably coming off a call getting furls and snacks before the station, and I guarantee you made their day.”
And another shared their own story: “My friend and I baked cookies and took them to the fire department, they let us put on their coats and sit in the truck. A cop showed up and he fake arrested us for photo ops. It was a magical day.”
TikTok @themosleymess
The proud mom told Newsweek Easton was “excited for the opportunity that presented itself, and to see if the challenge could be accomplished,” which is something she would not have had the confidence to do herself as a child.
“As an 11-year-old, I never would’ve had the confidence to talk to two grown men and ask if I can honk their horn,” she said. “So I always wanted to instill confidence in my kids and let them know that anything is possible as long as you have confidence.”
According to the Child Mind Institute, there are ways parents can work to raise confident children, including modeling confidence yourself—even if you’re not feeling it.
Encouraging them to try new things, praising their perseverance and helping them to find their passion can all lead to a confident child, and it’s also imprtant to allow them to fail, as trial and error is how kids learn, and it helps them to find out failing is not the end of the world.
In her case, Mosley also tries to teach her kids that “there’s nothing wrong with someone saying no, and just because they said no it doesn’t mean it’s final, and maybe it can be possible with someone else and different timing.
“Don’t get discouraged.”
Newsweek has contacted the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department for comment on this story.
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