A father and his four-year-old son found an unlocked candy shop in Riverside and stayed to protect it until help arrived.
Conner Smith was walking through his favorite shopping center with his son Charlie when they noticed something unusual. The doors to Uptown Candy Shop stood wide open. The store had closed for the night, but someone forgot to lock up.
Smith could have walked away. He could have looked the other way. Instead, he saw a chance to teach his son something important.
“We need to find a security guard to help lock up the business,” Smith told four-year-old Charlie in the moment caught on surveillance video.
The father and son left briefly to find a phone number. Then they came back to wait. While they stood guard, Smith read the bulk candy rules to Charlie. They stayed until security showed up.
Smith explained his thinking later. “My first thought was that somebody is gonna take advantage of the situation and then what if they want to close because they lose too much inventory and they can’t stay open. That would bum my kids out, which would bum me out.”
The candy shop had opened just one week earlier. Owner Donia Farraj checked the security footage the next day and couldn’t believe what she saw.
“They just walked off like nothing happened,” Farraj said. “As if they didn’t just save my business that night.”
Farraj wanted to thank the mystery family. She posted the video on TikTok, hoping someone would recognize them. “We figured TikTok finds the bad guys really fast, so let’s see how long it takes them to find the good guy,” she said.
The video took off. More than three million people watched it. Comments poured in from people who felt encouraged by this simple act of honesty.
One person wrote, “great dad showing his son how to be a great man.” Another person wrote, “What a wholesome family! They deserve the highest recognition.”
Within a day, someone connected Farraj with the Smith family. She invited Conner, his wife Shannon, Charlie, and their daughter Nora to the shop. She wanted to thank them with complimentary treats.
“It feels surreal, like I’m living in an alternate reality,” Smith said about the attention.
His wife Shannon shared what they teach their kids: “Always do the right thing if nobody’s watching.”
That phrase captures something powerful. Charlie didn’t know a camera was recording. His dad didn’t expect recognition or reward. They just did what felt right in that moment.
This story reminds us that our children watch everything we do. They learn more from our actions than our words.
When Smith took time out of his evening to protect a stranger’s business, he showed Charlie what it means to love your neighbor.
The Bible calls us to be honest in all things. To care for others. To look out for those around us. These aren’t just nice ideas. They’re ways we reflect God’s character to a watching world.
WATCH: Dad and 4-Year-Old Guard Unlocked Candy Shop After Hours Until Help Arrives
