The younger you are, the more curious you are about the world around you. Due to this curiosity, it’s not uncommon for kids to ask questions and lots of them. “Why is the sky blue?” “How come dogs bark but cats meow?” “Are fairies real?” Sometimes children’s questions can be answered. Other times, we just have to say, “I’m not sure” in response.
As for a little girl named Holland Backstrom, she blurted out what her mom, Mary Katherine, would consider an embarrassing question. During their usual Waffle House visit, Holland decided to ask their favorite waitress, Mrs. Cynthia, why her skin is so dark. Not only was the question itself humiliating, but it was said during an unusual time: while the duo was in the middle of ordering breakfast!
“My heart stopped. Race is such a fragile topic, especially these days. And my daughter just approached it with the grace of a bull in a china shop,” the mom said on Facebook after the event.
Before the mortified mom could apologize to Mrs. Cynthia and swiftly deflect the conversation back to restaurant talk, the waitress was more than happy to give the curious girl the answer.
Fortunately, the waitress wasn’t upset at the slightest. “Because God made everyone different! Isn’t that wonderful?” responded an understanding Mrs. Cynthia.
Although the answer was quite simple, Holland was pleased with the response.
In fact, she told the waitress that she wishes she could have dark skin too, adding, ‘But, Mrs. Cynthia—if I had your skin, we could both dress up like Tiana {from The Princess and the Frog)!”
‘You can dress like Tiana any time, honey,’ Mrs. Cynthia responded.
Although both Mrs. Cynthia and Mary Katherine knew that Holland was just eager to have an answer to one of her curiosities and was becoming more aware of her own appearance, the mom was still embarrassed. She had hoped her daughter would have at least had that discussion in private with her rather than Mrs. Cynthia herself.
Nevertheless, Mom was happy Mrs. Cynthia had a respectful response to what otherwise might be considered an offensive inquiry.
Still, the Waffle House situation brought to Mary Katherine’s attention just how important it is to teach your children that people are diverse, which she discussed in a post online:
“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,” part of her post read.
Not only did little Holland get a little lesson out of her conversation with Mrs. Cynthia, but hopefully this gone-viral story (and Mary Katherine’s wise words) will help encourage parents to teach their kiddos that it’s okay to be different!
