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Mom Criticizes Daughter-in-Law for Not Cleaning the House. Her Husband’s Response Is Everything.

"I didn't really know how to respond to my mother, so I floundered. I never really know what to say in moments like this."

“The Pain, Unlike My Baby Girl, Would Live on Forever”: Mom Shares Raw, Heartbreaking Stillbirth Story

“As I stood over her and spent those last few minutes with her, blood was cascading down my legs and onto the floor. I didn't care - my womb was crying. Everything about me was crying. Watching them wheel her away broke me. My life ended then and there."

“I Wonder if That’s Him. It Was Surreal”: Man Spots Boy He Rescued from Fire 13 Years Later

“I hadn't seen him in nearly 13 years, he was 4 years old then, but everything seemed to fit… I slowly walked over to him, and his family. I slowly approached him, and when he looked at me... I shattered the ice."

Mom Mocks Dirty Man Daughter Is Staring at in Grocery Store—His Reply Goes Viral for All the Right Reasons

Of course, we’re all familiar with the idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover.” In fact, most parents have probably taught that lesson in some form or fashion to their children in order to guard them against the danger of stereotyping based on appearances.

However, even as adults, it’s surprisingly easy to fail to adhere to that in daily life, especially when our default mode is to make snap judgments based on what we see.

As many sadly do, one Washington mother fell into the stereotyping trap in a local grocery store when she noticed her daughter staring at a dirty man in the checkout line. After first instructing her little girl to stop staring, she then proceeded to whisper “that is why you need to stay in school” as they headed toward the exit.


Photo/Bored Panda

It just so happened that what the judgmental woman perceived as a “teachable” moment for her daughter about the importance of education ended up being a life lesson that she got ‘schooled‘ on.

Andy Ross — the dirty man in question — couldn’t help but overhear the condescending comment.

The college-educated, medically-certified, business-owning, hardworking father and fiancé, had a few items worthy of note that totally busted the mindless assumption made about him based on his tatted arms and dirty face.


Photo/Bored Panda

“I figured it was a great time to educate this mother and her 7/8 year old daughter,” said Andy Ross, who relayed the conversation he had in a viral Facebook post that has since been shared over 160,000 times:

It turns out, Andy cleans up pretty good. And the Internet fell in love with his quick-witted humor combined with hard-hitting truth.

Hundreds of people rallied around him in the comments to offer support and share their own similar stories.

All the praise to this hardworking young man for giving us a much-needed reminder that our outer shell is no indication of the person the inside.

If we all take the time to dig a little deeper than skin surface, we might just be surprised at the beauty we find in strangers.

Kelsey Straeter
Kelsey Straeter
Kelsey is an editor at Outreach. She’s passionate about fear fighting, freedom writing, and the pursuit of excellence in the name of crucifying perfectionism. Glitter is her favorite color, 2nd only to pink, and 3rd only to pink glitter.

Mom Criticizes Daughter-in-Law for Not Cleaning the House. Her Husband’s Response Is Everything.

"I didn't really know how to respond to my mother, so I floundered. I never really know what to say in moments like this."

“The Pain, Unlike My Baby Girl, Would Live on Forever”: Mom Shares Raw, Heartbreaking Stillbirth Story

“As I stood over her and spent those last few minutes with her, blood was cascading down my legs and onto the floor. I didn't care - my womb was crying. Everything about me was crying. Watching them wheel her away broke me. My life ended then and there."

“I Wonder if That’s Him. It Was Surreal”: Man Spots Boy He Rescued from Fire 13 Years Later

“I hadn't seen him in nearly 13 years, he was 4 years old then, but everything seemed to fit… I slowly walked over to him, and his family. I slowly approached him, and when he looked at me... I shattered the ice."