Waitress gives thoughtful and eye-opening answer to little girl who asks "Why is your skin so dark?"
If you can’t remember the last time you were deeply embarrassed, then you clearly aren’t a mom. Kids will say the most random things and ask the most awkward questions. Sometimes, though, they will inspire the most profound answers, which is what happened when a little girl decided to ask her favorite waitress about the color of her skin.
Mrs. Cynthia is a waitress at The Waffle House in Fort Meyers, and she’s been serving her favorite little customer Holland since she was still just a baby.
Holland loves her visits with Mrs. Cynthia, who always makes sure to bring her favorite breakfast of raisin bread and apple juice over to her favorite booth at the restaurant.
Within a year of Holland’s family becoming regulars at the Waffle House, they had bonded with Mrs. Cynthia so well that she felt like family.
Holland’s mom, Mary Katherine Backstrom, became incredibly close to the waitress as well.
In fact, the reason they all grew so close was that Backstrom, who’s an author, spent long hours throwing back many cups of coffee in their booth while she penned her book Mom Babble: The Messy Truth About Motherhood. Mrs. Cynthia was always there to provide the fresh cups of joe and a willing and open ear whenever Backstrom, or Holland, needed it.
It unfolded into a beautiful friendship that works both ways. When Mrs. Cynthia’s son was going through some hardships, Backstrom and Mrs. Cynthia sat at that table and prayed together. They did the same thing when Backstrom was battling breast cancer. They had become true friends.
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Holland loves Mrs. Cynthia so much that she even wants her birthday celebrations to be at the Waffle House, so she can include her favorite waitress.
They have had a close relationship for years now. Parents know, though, that when kids are comfortable with someone, there’s no subject too taboo for inquiry. Backstrom and Mrs. Cynthia found this out themselves when Holland popped off with a question posed to Mrs. Cynthia that stopped her mother’s heart one day.
“Mrs. Cynthia, I want to have dark skin like you. Why is your skin so dark?” Holland asked.
Backstrom was left speechless by her daughter’s pointed question, and it was a good thing she was because no one could have answered it better than Mrs. Cynthia herself.
“Because God made everyone different! Isn’t that wonderful?!” The waitress responded without missing a beat.
Though Holland nodded in agreement, it still hadn’t answered the root of her quandary which, of course, had to do with her favorite Disney Princess.
“But, Mrs. Cynthia—if I had your skin, we could both dress up like Tiana!” Holland replied.
Fortunately, the waitress had a bit more wisdom tucked up her sleeve that she was ready to share with Holland.
“You can dress like Tiana any time, honey,” Mrs. Cynthia laughed in response.
Now Holland knows that she is free to dress however she wants, the shade of her skin notwithstanding. Though the conversation was finished in a snap, it left a deep impression on Backstrom. One that she decided to share with the world.
In a post to Love What Matters, the author wrote:
“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 … 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?’“
What could have turned into an awkward, messy conversation that left emotional bruises had been turned into a life lesson for everyone; our differences are exactly what make us so beautiful, all colors included.
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