The Median Sib

Sweet Stuff (5 years old) is very happy to have the distinction of being the only one in her family with blue eyes, and at school, she and her friend, Thomas, are the only two kids in her class with blue eyes.  She was talking to her mommy the other day and asked why her friend, Katherine, has skin that’s a different color than hers.

My daughter, seeing the opportunity for an “equality and unity of people” lesson, talked to Sweet Stuff about different countries and families, and she told Sweet Stuff that people may be different on the outside - different hair, skin or eye color, different heights, different weights, some wear glasses and some don’t - but that everyone is the same inside, where it counts.

Sweet Stuff asked a few more questions, and then understanding dawned in her eyes.  “Oh, it’s like PawPaw,” she exclaimed.  “He’s different because he doesn’t have hair (and she took her finger and drew an imaginary line around her own head to illustrate PawPaw’s minimal hairline), and I like him!”

Her mother nodded yes.  Lesson learned.