I Think Kids Say the Darndest Things

When my nephew was in kindergarten, I met up with him one morning as he was going out the door. I held the screen door to let him out, and as he stepped on the porch, I smiled and said, "Have a good day, and you ACT like somebody!"

It was straight out of Andy Griffith, but Ryne took it in his stride. He looked me up and down, then said, "I already AM somebody!"

A few years later, when Barack Obama was running for President, he came home from school and reported that some of his classmates said their parents wouldn't vote for him because he was a "black man." I said something to the effect that well, that was the way they felt about it. My incredible nephew gave me an amazed look and replied, "Well, what difference does THAT make?"

I could never make him understand why I hugged him proudly for his reasoning.

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PhoenixPhail · M

SO wonderful. Your nephew hadn't lived long enough to have that wisdom conditioned out of him yet.

Your post reminds me of a story told by a woman at an IANDS convention, who had been having lunch with Buckminster Fuller. The woman's 8-year-old son was dining with them, and came out with something so profound, the mother was stunned. Buckminster Fuller's response was, 'You have to remember that in universe time, our children are our elders. They were born into a much more complete and more highly evolved world we can't possibly know, except through [i]them.[/i]

MaryJanine · 61-69, F

1960. My mom was devoted to that program. (BTW - Miss Kitty wore the same dress for twenty years. No WONDER Matt Dillon never proposed to her!)

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