Mother reunited with stranger who helped calm her kids during flight thanks to Facebook appeal

'He was one of the nicest men I have ever met in my life'

(Facebook: Jessica Rudeen

A mother who wanted to thank a kind stranger that helped calm her two children during a flight has managed to track him down thanks to an online appeal.

Travelling alone with children is one of those make or break moments many parents dread. From bored, whiny little ones to glaring fellow passengers, it can be an overwhelming experience.

Luckily, when one mother was struggling to cope during one of her first ever flights alone with her children, a kind stranger was there to lend a helping hand.

Posting on Facebook, Jessica Rudeen, 34, from Arkansas, US, explained that she was boarding the plane when her four-month-old, Alexander, began “screaming his head off” and her three-year-old, Caroline, began screaming and kicking.

“I honestly thought we’d get kicked off the plane. So with two kids losing their minds, I was desperately trying to calm the situation,” she wrote.

To her amazement, the man sitting next to them, now known to be Todd Walker, offered to hold Alexander while Rudeen calmed Caroline.

“This man reached for the baby and held him while I forced a seatbelt on Caroline, got her tablet and started her movie,” she explained.

“Once she was settled and relatively calmed, he distracted her so that I could feed Alexander. During the flight, he coloured and watched a movie with Caroline, he engaged in conversation and showed her all the things outside.”

But, Walker’s random act of kindness didn’t stop there. As fate would have it, he also had the same connecting flight and so helped them to their next plane.

He even changed his seat to be on their row so that he could continue to entertain the children.

“This guy, Todd, showed me kindness and compassion that I’ve never known from another person,” Rudeen added.

“We could have been placed next to anyone, but we were seated next to one of the nicest men I have ever met in my life.”

After reaching their destination and saying goodbye, Rudeen realised that she wanted to find Walker and thank him again for being so helpful so she launched an online appeal on Facebook.

Rudeen later updated the post, which has been shared more than 5,000 times, to reveal that the she had finally made contact with Walker’s wife and that they were arranging to meet up soon.

Speaking of his random act of kindness Walker told Motherly: “Flying is stressful. I had little kids once. I think most people on that plane have had little kids themselves, and we have all had that fear of our kids not doing well on the flight.

“So I just wanted her to know that hey, it's okay, we're gonna do this together and be fine."

Amazed by Walker’s compassion, hundreds of people quickly flooded Rudeen’s post to praise him.

“It does not hurt to show compassion and understanding. Travelling with kids is hard at times. Nice going Todd, you are a great man,” one person wrote.

Another added: “Amazing people still exist! Way to go, Todd!”