Children are incredible because of their innocence and pure curiosity. They say whatever they want and ask whatever questions they want.
Holland’s favorite waitress is Mrs. Cynthia, a long-time waitress. She works at Waffle House in Fort Myers, which is one of Holland’s favorite restaurants. Mrs. Cynthia has known Mrs. Holland since she was a baby and has always sat her in her beloved corner booth, bringing her raisin toast and apple juice.
By the time Hollard turned one, Mrs. Cynthia was well-known in the family. She was almost like an old family friend.
They exchange personal information and even pray for one another.
Mrs. Cynthia prayed for Mrs. Holland’s adult son, as well as Mary Katherine’s battle with breast cancer.
Author Mary Katherine Backstrom wrote a novel in Mrs. Cynthia’s section of the restaurant, fueling her creativity with multiple cups of coffee served by the waiter. No one, however, praised Mrs. Cynthia more than Holland.
Waffle House celebrations were popular in Holland. Mrs. Cynthia is such a regular that she places her order as soon as she sees her car pull in. Their bond is beautiful, full of love and admiration for one another.
Until Holland amazed her mother with a question she asked Mrs. Cynthia one day, you could have heard a pin drop during the subsequent silence. Mary Katherine’s heart rate increased threefold.
I wish I had your dark skin, Mrs. Cynthia. How did you get your dark skin?
“Because God created each individual!” Isn’t that amazing?
Holland nodded in agreement. But she still had innocent, sincere questions for her friend. Of course, the most important part was about her favorite Disney character.
But if I had your skin, Mrs. Cynthia, we’d be able to dress up like Tiana! ”
You are free to dress as Tiana whenever you want, honey.
The educational opportunity was then lost, a life lesson for both Holland and Mary Katherine.
My three-year-old daughter distinguishes between a black woman and a white woman. Humans are not born without awareness of their variations. To be honest, denying the existence of these disparities is an insult in so many ways. We must actively teach our children to recognize and value the characteristics that distinguish God’s people. Whether it is due to their ethnicity, nationality, or religious beliefs, these issues must be addressed. Because our kids have already seen them, spoiler alert.
Even though Mary Katherine paused when Holland casually brought up the subject of race with the girl she adored who had a different color of skin, she realized it was because she didn’t want to mess up her response. She did not want to upset anyone by saying something inappropriate. She wanted her daughter to understand that skin color is unimportant.
Fear is deceptive.And silence is a terrible teacher. Thank God for Mrs. Cynthia’s grace and wisdom. In the future, I will not prevent my kids from exploring the world around them. I’m not going to silence them or teach them that “diversity” is a bad or forbidden subject. Instead, I’ll tell them the simple, honest-to-God truth, as told to us by our wonderful friend, Mrs. Cynthia: ‘God made everybody different.’ Isn’t it wonderful?
Mary Katherine shared a brutally honest and endearing parenting moment with the entire internet. We can only hope that, like Holland, all children grow up appreciating the beauty that remains within everyone rather than just what is visible on the outside.