Waitress has the perfect response when little girl asks her why her skin’s so dark
Children will say whatever is on their minds.
Sometimes this means they will talk about the things that fully grown adults will not.
Holland is a rather curious little girl who adores her regular waitress at one of her favorite restaurants.
Mrs. Cynthia is a server at a Waffle House in Fort Myers and has known the little girl since she was a baby.
Mrs. Cynthia had become like a member of the family.
Mrs. Cynthia had come to know the family well. They are regulars at the Waffle House and Cynthia knows that little Holland loves raisin bread and apple juice. By the time the little girl had turned one, the family considered Mrs. Cynthia to be a member of the family.
Mother is a regular in the restaurant.
The girl’s mother is an author named Mary Katherine Backstrom. Her books “Holy Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of This Weird and Wonderful Life” and “Mom Babble: The Messy Truth About Motherhood”are both available on Amazon.
Mary Katherine and Cynthia have gotten to know each other well over the years. Backstrom has done a lot of writing in the Waffle House while Cynthia served her cups of coffee. Backstrom’s daughter Holland adores Cynthia and loves spending time at the restaurant as well.
Holland asks Mrs. Cynthia a question.
One day, Holland asked Mrs. Cynthia a question that stunned her mother.
“Mrs. Cynthia, I want to have dark skin like you. Why is your skin so dark?”
Before Mary Katherine could say anything about her child’s question, Cynthia responded.
“Because God made everyone different! Isn’t that wonderful?!”
Holland agreed but it appears her question was more related to Disney characters she wants to dress up as.
“But, Mrs. Cynthia—if I had your skin, we could both dress up like Tiana!” Holland responded.
Tiana is the main character of Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog”. Cynthia told Holland that she can dress up like Tiana anytime she wants.
“You can dress like Tiana any time, honey.”
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Mary Katherine reflects on her 3-year-olds perspective.
The author noted that her curious child’s question was a teachable moment for both mother and daughter.
“My three-year-old daughter sees the difference between a black woman and a white woman. Human beings aren’t born oblivious to our differences. And honestly, in so many ways, pretending these differences don’t exist is an insult. What we must do—intentionally—is teach our children to see and APPRECIATE the things that make God’s people so unique. Whether that be their race, nationality, or religious beliefs… We need to talk about these things. Because, spoiler alert: our kids ALREADY see them.”
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“Silence is a terrible teacher”
Mary Katherine is glad that Cynthia answered before she could stop her child from asking the question. She concluded that “silence is a terrible teacher” and that she will never stop her children from asking questions about the world.
“…fear is a liar. And silence is a terrible teacher. Thank God for the wisdom and grace of Mrs. Cynthia. Moving forward, I won’t stop my children from asking questions about the world around them. I won’t shush them into silence and teach them that ‘difference’ is a dangerous or taboo topic. Instead, I will tell them this simple, honest-to-goodness truth, straight from the mouth of our dear friend, Mrs. Cynthia: ‘God made everybody different. And isn’t that wonderful?’”
This story is another example of how the honest curiosity of children can create teachable moments for adults.
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