Claire Reid
A thoughtful teenager's inspirational doorbell camera message to a stranger has gone viral raking up millions of views and plenty of praise.
I think we can all agree that teens usually get a bit of a hard time in the press, but that’s certainly not the case for 13-year-old Jacksen Proell.
Proell, from Minnesota, was out to pick up snacks with his pals when they decided to play a game of ding, dong, ditch - but rather than the usual annoying knocking and running away Proell imparted some advice far beyond his years into the doorbell camera.
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Speaking to Fox 19, Proell said: “I just saw the doorbell camera when we were walking to the gas station, and I just thought maybe I should say something nice to it.”
So that’s exactly what he did.
In the clip, he can be seen walking up to the camera, peering in and saying: “You matter, all right? There’s always gonna be someone that cares about you. And you’re a good person. No matter what people say, you matter.
“Whoever you are, you matter to someone. Just keep that in mind. Don’t forget that.”
The camera, which Proell chose at random as he walked by, belonged to Ashley Mann, who happened to be away on vacation when her phone got an alert from her doorbell camera and when she watched it back she was deeply moved.
Mann said: “Just going through footage and getting rid of notifications, and then, I saw some kids at the doorbell. I watched it, and I was like, ‘Wow, that was really powerful.’
“This young kid came up to my random doorbell to just say, ‘Hey, you matter.’ Just wanting to spread kindness and positivity, and it just made me feel like I should do the same thing.”
In a strange turn of events, Mann works as a mental health guide and helps teens and young adults who are in crisis - meaning she truly understands the impact kind words can have.
So much so, that she decided to share it on TikTok so others could hear the inspiring message.
And it appears to have struck a chord, as it has since been viewed millions of times and Proell has been flooded with praise and messages of support.
But the youngster isn’t letting his new-found fame go to his head, and humbly told Fox 19: “I’m not trying to get famous or something like that. I was just trying to say something nice, and now, this is happening. So, I’m just kind of going with it.”