Funding for this podcast comes from MathWorks, creators of Math Lab and Simulink Software,

accelerating the pace of engineering and science. Learn more at MathWorks.com.

Produced by the iLab at WBUR Boston.

Hi, last scene listeners. We want to introduce you to a great podcast from WBUR,

the same people who created last scene. I'm Yasmin Amar and I'm Andrea Aswahi.

And we're the hosts of Kind World. Each week we share stories that will help restore your faith in humanity

and reaffirm the belief that there's a lot of good in the world.

If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Acts of kindness can be big or small.

And this week we've got a story about how even the smallest acts of kindness

can have a profound effect on someone's life.

44-year-old Jen Carson has an unusually good memory of her childhood.

But then again, her childhood was unusual by any standard.

It started off in a typical suburb in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mom was a teacher. Dad, she says, was a hippie-state home father who occasionally dealt pot.

And he was incredibly attentive.

He'd brush my hair and feed me breakfast every morning.

He'd read to me, take me to the petting zoo.

But you know, there were always signs of problems.

Her mother, Lynn Carson, knew something was wrong when her husband, James Carson,

began violently threatening anyone who upset him, including her.

The first few times he said it, she didn't believe him.

...