There is no question that kids do, in fact, say the darndest things in life. While oftentimes their unexpected questions or input can serve for some downright hilarious material, other times they can make things incredibly awkward.

That’s perhaps the best way to describe what Holland’s mom felt when the little girl asked her favorite waitress a very direct and honest question.

Holland’s favorite restaurant is The Waffle House, located in Fort Myers, Florida. In fact, the sweet little girl had her first three birthday parties there. One of the reason’s she loves it so much is because Ms. Cynthia, her all-time favorite waitress, works there.

Ever since Holland was just a baby, Ms. Cynthia has been waiting on her with extra special attention. She always seats the little girl and her mom, Mary Katherine Backstrom, in their favorite corner section and has Holland’s favorite food on pre-order. Raisin bread and apple juice.

As time went on and Holland turned one, Ms. Cynthia had formed a close bond to both the little girl and her mother.

They became so close, actually, that Holland’s mom now thinks of her as a member of the family.

As Holland’s mom and Ms. Cynthia became fast friends, they started filling each other in about the daily ongoings in their lives. When Ms. Cynthia’s son was going through a rough patch, Holland’s mom prayed for him. Conversely, when Ms. Cynthia discovered that her favorite little girl’s mama had breast cancer, she prayed for Holland’s mom. It’s safe to say that the two wonderful women think very highly of each other.

As it turns out, Mary Katherine Backstrom is an author. When she poured countless hours into her first book, she did so in Ms. Cynthia’s section at the Waffle House as the waitress kept her supplied in coffee to fuel her process.

While there is no question that Backstrom loves Ms. Cynthia, no one is a bigger fan of the waitress than her little girl Holland.

The thing about friendships is that sometimes people can get very comfortable in conversation with each other. Holland is one little girl who is proof of this.

While Holland and her mom were dining in Ms. Cynthia’s section one day, the little girl decisively asked her favorite waitress a very blunt question.

“Mrs. Cynthia, I want to have dark skin like you. Why is your skin so dark?”

The question was immediately followed by a deafening silence. One in which Holland’s shocked mom could hear her own heart beating in overtime. How was her favorite waitress going to take the question?

As they soon found out, with pure kindness and grace.

Holland’s mom had nothing to worry about. As a matter of fact, what came out of the waitress’s mouth next was so simple and profound that it left both the little girl and her mom awestruck. Ms. Cynthia dropped a quick, wisdom-filled life lesson on her favorite customers.

“Because God made everyone different! Isn’t that wonderful?“

Though the little girl nodded in agreement, she still had a small qualm with it and, of course, it was Disney related.

“But, Mrs. Cynthia—if I had your skin, we could both dress up like Tiana,” exclaimed Holland.

Tickled by the little girl’s response, the waitress replied with even more good news.

“You can dress like Tiana any time, honey,” Ms. Cynthia chuckled.

With that fantastic point in mind, Holland was already moving on with her day. Her mom, however, was left feeling awestruck and inspired by the waitress.

“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,” Holland’s mom wrote in a post to Love What Matters.

Holland’s mom realized she had been too scared to respond to her daughter’s question because she was afraid of using the wrong words and hurting Ms. Cynthia’s feelings. The waitress’s response, though, taught the mom that some things need to be said in order to be appreciated.

“…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?’“

We would have to say that it most definitely IS! The world needs more people in it like Ms. Cynthia, who can give an honest, straightforward answer to the hard-to-ask questions in life. And it needs more little kids like Holland who are fearless when it comes to asking them.

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H/T: Shareably