Preschool is a literal jungle. A jungle I have previously experienced, but not to the extent that I feel I can thrive. I don’t think anyone is able to expect all the things that are said or the things that happen. Most of the people who are known for being truthful fall into two categories: kids or drunk people. And even then, I believe kids take the cake for being bluntly honest. They don’t tend to think about things like feelings or if what they are going to say will be hurtful or wrong; they just say what they are thinking or what they believe. This week, I received a harsh lesson in just how honest kids can be.
My hair is currently purple and blue. Several of the kids looked at it but said nothing, which is fine. One girl, who we will call C, came over and asked me if my hair is real. I said yes, it is real. She then began to lift it and play with it, which made me smile. She asked me why I would want my hair to be blue and purple, to which I answered that I like it like that. Then, with her face deadpan, she said “my mom says colored hair makes people ugly.”
I was in shock and had no idea how to respond for a few seconds. I could tell she was waiting for my response; I simply said that everyone is entitled to their opinions, but that I enjoy my hair the way it is. She accepted that answer and walked away but the way that she said that so easily made me realize just how honest kids are. Now, I know that she did not mean it in a malicious or rude way at all; she just wasn’t sure how to feel about colorful hair, so she simply repeated what her mother had told her, which is normal for a child.
Not knowing how to mentally think about and approach the subject, I simply pulled one of the main teachers away and told her what had happened. She was also shocked, but I made sure to mention that she did not say it meanly or meant it rudely; she was simply repeating what she had been told. The teacher agreed with me that she could have said it nicer, or not at all, but C didn’t think that what she said was right or wrong; she just saw it as the truth. This is another one of those lessons that we can take away from children; sometimes the truth can only be said in a blunt way for it to be understood. Other times, it can be better to not say anything.
Rachel's Observations of CSSC 