Kids say the darnest things
A couple of years ago my 6 year old godson left his mother fumbling for words.
My godson: “Mama, is it true that when 2 people get married Jesus blesses them with a baby?”
My sister-in-law: “Yes baby, that’s true.”
My godson: “Then can you marry again coz’ I would really like another brother.”
My sister-in-law: *Speechless*
Needless to say I tried very hard not to laugh. It’s all very cute when kids say the darnest things and take us by surprise. But, what happens when kids say thesedarnest things to other kids?
The other day I was tending to my plants and watching the kids play in the nearby park. The little girls were riding their bikes all giggly while the boys had their parked and were trying to create a makeshift obstacle course.
Suddenly a frail, scrawny child appeared shyly out of a corner and stood nearby watching the other kids. After a while he decided to pitch in and help layout out small rocks along that would define the track of their ‘obstacle course’. Suddenly one of the other boys turned to him and said, “Hey, what are you doing?”. This little child stopped and smiled feebly saying, “Can I play with you guys too?” The other boy decides to leave whatever he’s doing and calls on his friends in his loudest possible voice and says, “Hey guys, this kid wants to play with us and he doesn’t even own a bike!” There was awkward silence and then suddenly the air was filled with laughter. Piercing through the air. The girls stopped, huddled together and started giggling too. This little boy felt like he was shrinking right before my eyes. His cheeks looked flushed; he stared at the rocks laid out and tugged on his tee-shirt. Then suddenly he started pouting, turned around and made a dash for it. I heard the other kids shout out, “Yea that’s right, keep running and don’t you come around till you don’t have a bike”.
It broke my heart.
I wanted to run to that kid and hug him and tell him it was going to be OK. I could picture him sitting in some corner, silent tears streaming down his flushed face. He was probably blaming himself and on some level his folks for not being able to afford a bike. All the while not realizing that those kids were not worth hanging around.
Yes, kids say the darnest things and it would be foolish to believe that they understand the repercussion of their words or actions. But, here’s where my dilemma lies — there were at least four mothers watching from a distance, and none of them said a word! That was truly appalling.
