Kids Say the Darnest Things

Today I had two very different conversations with two very different little boys.

Devyn: In the first grade, had tears in his eyes when I went to pick him up at the school. I thought maybe he was just being a typical first grader and crying, until I asked him what was wrong. He was crying genuine tears and said, "my parents are fighting." My heart broke when he said this and I told him I'd talk to him once we got the center...so when we arrived at the center I pulled him aside and said, "Devyn, are you OK?" Devyn shook his head 'no' and then I asked him if he wanted to talk about it and he shook his head 'yes' so I sat down with him and he told me about his parents screaming at each other when they went to pick him up that afternoon...I guess they were so angry that they just decided to have him go to the Center instead of going home. Whatever they said or decided upon, Devyn was very upset and legitimately hurt by what happened. My heart broke...I finally felt broken at work. A child at 6-years-old shouldn't be brought into that kind of communication...he was so sad, so scared...it just broke my heart. So I gave him a big hug and a cup full of gummy bears and told him that his parents loved him very, very much.

Christian: In Pre-K, we were in the gym and I told him to be careful because he could hurt himself if he jumped on the bleachers...he then looked at me, with all sincerity and said, "Heaven is a good place." It took me by surprise and for the second time that day, I cried...my eyes just welled up with tears and Christian continued, "my mom said so." I asked him what he thought it looked like and he said, "I don't know but if you're evil you go down and if you're good, you go up." His cute little face and basic knowledge of morality was beautiful and touching.

Both boys lead very different lives, Christian's dad is a judge for the city of Bridgeport and Caucasian while Devyn is constantly squeaking by in school and is African American...the two lives they lead...so different but both were able to touch my heart today. They both are looking to be loved and they both expect that from me. Today was a beautiful day that broke me down but forced me to remember why I am here...I am here to be their friend, their very best friend; someone who will look out for them and give them gummy bears if need be. They both say the darnest things and made my day more meaningful. I belong here.