An apologetic young child who picked a flower from Mundy Park has penned a heartwarming letter to the mayor of Coquitlam, saying he’s learned an important lesson about taking things that aren’t yours.
In the letter dated April 13, Damian, who is four-and-a-half years old, says he is “really sorry for taking your flower” from the park.
“I’m sorry we brought it home. We planted it and we were able to save it. I will always take care of it,” Damian wrote.
The child even sent payment to the mayor, saying $11 was to pay for the flower.
“I will never take something that doesn’t belong to me again,” he concluded.
Four-year-old Damian’s letter of apology to Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart, after the child picked a flower from Mundy Park. (Courtesy Facebook/Richard Stewart)
But it appears there are no hard feelings, with Damian’s letter, which is covered in Paw Patrol stickers, catching Mayor Richard Stewart’s eye.
“Thank you, Damian, for your letter. I loved all the stickers,” the mayor wrote in response to the apology. “We love our parks (especially Mundy Park) and we plant lots of flowers for everyone to enjoy. I’m glad you like flowers too, and I hope that you will plant many flowers and trees in your lifetime, Damian.”
“The letter was absolutely covered with Paw Patrol stickers and I know Paw Patrol, I have grandchildren, and he clearly loves Paw Patrol because he felt that, perhaps, a bunch of Paw Patrol stickers sent to the mayor’s office would help make amends for his egregious error,” Stewart joked in an interview with CityNews.
He says both he and staff “were tickled to receive” the letter, adding he wanted to take the time to respond to the child’s well-thought-out note.
The mayor put pen to paper, writing back to Damian on official city letterhead — with a bit of a personal touch.
“My letter had a big Paw Patrol picture on it as well, which we don’t normally put on our outgoing mail from the City of Coquitlam,” he explained.
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart’s response to four-year-old Damian’s letter of apology, after the child picked a flower from Mundy Park. (Courtesy Facebook/Richard Stewart)
“I assume he pulled [the flower] out of the ground because he said they planted it at home when he got home and his mother told him, ‘My goodness.’ So they did rescue it, they said. But it was just adorable that, first of all, that he clearly felt remorse, but also that his parents are bringing him up right.”
While Stewart suspects Damian’s letter may have been physically written out by someone older than him, the mayor says the sentiment behind the apology is all that matters.
The mayor says the parks and greenery around Coquitlam is just part of what makes the city a great place to live. He hopes others also follow Damian’s lead in showing respect for Coquitlam’s public spaces.
“It was the best letter I got to write all week,” Stewart said with a laugh. “Usually it’s a letter yelling at the provincial government for something they new that they just did. But this one was more important I think.”