A Surprising Lesson in Innocence, A father’s moment of reflection on childhood innocence. One afternoon, about fifteen years ago, I decided to surprise my son at his elementary school. His teacher informed me that he was playing on the playground, so I headed out to find him. When he spotted me, he rushed over, holding a small toy—a Power Ranger model that I didn’t recognize and asked if it was ours………..
One afternoon, about fifteen years ago, I decided to surprise my son at his elementary school. His teacher informed me that he was playing on the playground, so I headed out to find him. When he spotted me, he rushed over, holding a small toy—a Power Ranger model that I didn’t recognize and asked if it was ours.
Curiously, I asked him where he got it. He explained that he was borrowing it from a friend but struggled to identify the boy. “That one,” he pointed. I laughed, realizing how many kids were in the area. He narrowed it down, mentioning, “The boy with the blue shirt,” but there were several kids fitting that description. Finally, in exasperation, he exclaimed, “The one with the ball now!” That’s when I noticed he was pointing to the only Black child nearby.
In that moment, I realized my son didn’t see the boy’s skin color; he only recognized his shirt and sneakers. It struck me that he was unaware of racial differences, which left me heartened. Perhaps it’s something we teach children to notice rather than something they inherently understand. For a brief moment, it filled me with hope for a more accepting future.
