Dear Q,
This lesson comes from you – your four year old self. You are the teacher, bound and determined.
Not long ago, you were given a new pink shirt. You’d been asking for one because you had outgrown your old ones and had no pink to replace them. I searched and searched for a pink shirt you’d like and finally found it – a button-down one with a collar. They are harder to come by than they should be. When you got it, you were so excited; you put it on to check the size and loved that the cuffs had buttons.
The next day, you wore it to kindergarten with dark wash jeans and sneakers. I was happy that you were so pleased with it, but a little concerned about how it might be received by your friends. I was hoping, at four years old, no one would care.
But they did.
After school, you told me that some of your classmates called you “a girl” because you were wearing pink. You thought they were rude for teasing you and it made you sad, but you said “I guess I’ll just teach them that boys can wear pink, too!”
And you did.
Undeterred, you picked out your pink shirt to wear the following week. While you were struggling with the buttons, determined to do it by yourself, you said “I wonder if they’ll say anything to me today.”
And they did.
That day, your classmates told you
that you were wearing a dress, but you simply said “obviously, this is not a dress” and went about your day. After school, you told me they’d been rude to you again, but you were still beaming in that pink shirt. You were so proud of yourself and you told me you wanted to wear the shirt every day.
This lesson is about more than boys wearing pink. This lesson is about your strength of character and your attitude in the face of your critics. Your little four year old self stood strong and was not only undeterred by them, but vowed to open their minds through your actions.
I hope that confidence and self-assurance stays with you, always. I hope you feel free to stand up for yourself, for others, and for what you believe in.
You are a force to be reckoned with and I couldn’t be more proud. You are a remarkable human being.
Love always,
Mom
Two days later, I took the kids to the store to get new sandals. Thankfully, they were all on clearance because it is so late in the season. As we were sifting through the limited selection, Q asked me what the bench said. “It says ‘Do not stand on bench’” I said. Without pause, Q climbed onto the bench, planted the bottom on his feet on it and squatted. “What?” he said “I’m not standing.”
