I walked into a place today, and a preschooler immediately lit up, smiled, and said “Hellooooo!” 😁
I smiled and moved along, but she waved and jumped up from her chair to approach me, and didn’t give up until I spoke to her. Of course at that point, her mom was flustered and told her to sit back down. Thankfully, Mom didn’t say it as harshly as some parents do, so I wasn’t left with a bad feeling. Sometimes, I hear things like “Don’t bother that lady” or “Stop annoying her”, and it’s aggravating because they not only projected their own feelings onto me, they teach their kid that they’re unworthy of being in the presence of adults, and that everyone thinks they’re a problem. It’s wrong.
Her name was Savannah. I love that kids like me, just random kids, for no particular reason. I like them too, but more importantly, I respect them as people. This was a pretty big conversation I had with relatives over the holidays. Children aren’t stupid, their feelings are valid, and they remember how you treat them. If you think you’re so above them that you have to make them feel small, you’re a lousy human, and they’ll either recognize that when they’re older or become a lousy adult like the ones who didn’t respect them.
Today’s interaction reminded me that I nearly had my own Savannah while I was married, but I’m very relieved that I didn’t. I’ve never had the health nor the support to birth children, and I’m proud of myself for choosing not to rebound after divorce in order to pursue it. This in no way attacks other peoples’ decisions. I’m saying I did the right thing for my own life. Regardless, I like kids and I respect them as human beings. I’m also allowed to have an opinion about how they’re treated. If you don’t agree with that because I didn’t eject one from my uterus, I quite frankly couldn’t care less. It’s a self-centered take that I don’t have the time nor patience for.
So don’t “come at me, bro”, because I won’t back down. If you don’t respect kids, I don’t respect you.
