Put a Little Love in Your Heart

So, today Lily wanted to know why Daddy was home for the day. We told her it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and figured that with the very long and confusing name that she would have no more questions. WRONG. We just spent the better part of the morning trying to explain this amazing man's quest for equal rights to a three year old, who, by the way, is not satisfied with just any old answer. She wants to know why he wanted each person to be equal. Were we not before? Was our country bad? Eesh! We didn't want to get into a big discussion about skin color only because she's been so chill about it all this time. We have a number of Indian, African American and Czech friends we hang out with on a weekly basis. To her, it's just how life is. I really like that about her. She embraces color and thinks nothing of a diverse playground experience. So, we talked a bit about how there are all variations of skin tone and how they're all beautiful. We talked about how God made them all unique and special and that every person, no matter how they look, should have the same chance at freedom, happiness and a good life for themselves and their families. She is bummed to find out that there are no purple, blue or green people, but now I have a really interesting idea about how to deal with that. When is it too soon to show your child pictures of the different Oceanic, Native American, and African tribes? I mean within reason, you know, nothing scary. She's so open to it. She's so loving and accepting and she rejoices in this colorful world. What happens to some of us as adults? Martin Luther King, Jr. must have had the heart a very hopeful child. That's what God asks from us...to mature into little children. So, I'll end on a great quote by a musician and child advocate that we all love at our house, Raffi. "Children are the most reasonable people I know." Happy Dr. King, Jr. Day everyone!