Today, I with my two children, mother, and sister went shopping and out to lunch. We had fun shopping but our dinning experience was far from enjoyable. We sat across from an older couple would not stop staring at my sister and son. When I say staring I mean glaring at them. My mom was trying to hold a conversation with me but my mind and eyes were elsewhere. I was locked on this man who looked away every time he saw me, seeing him. She asked me what I was infatuated with to which I responded "The man sitting beside us is racist" She brushed it off saying I could not possibly know that then I told her to watch him. As she did I could see her blood start to boil; she threatened to say something to him. Although in math two negatives equal a positive, that is not how it works in the real world. I tried to get our waitress's attention; not because I wanted to complain about the couple, who very obviously spewed hatred our way, but to ask her for their check so I could pay for it. On their receipt I would write a note that said. "Jesus loves you. Jesus loves everyone." My mom asked why I would do such a thing for someone with such ugliness in their hearts. I wasn't doing it for the couple I was doing it for myself and my children.�As I watched the couple, who with every passing glace broke my heart, I realized that it was not their fault they felt this way. They grew up in a time era where that was a common practice, however in this day and age, this practice is not okay. �Racism, or any other way of thinking for that matter, is not a decision by the person who feels that way. The way a person feels on a certain topic is taught. I grew up in a home where my mother's best friend was African-American, Tyson Beckford was her celebrity crush, and to top it off my brother was openly gay. She accepted everyone for their differences; a trait which I learned/picked up from her which is quite apparent in my own family dynamic.� � � My children trust me. My daughter, who cannot fend for herself, only being 2 months old, trusts me keep her safe in my arms. She doesn't flinch when I go to set her down because she knows, without a doubt, that I will not let her fall. My son, who as I mentioned before is 4, trusts me, along with his sister, to keep them clothed when they are cold and fed when they are hungry. Although they do not consciously expect me to teach them right from wrong I do. It is my duty as a citizen raising the next generation, as their mother, and as a christian.When they grow up I will have no one to blame but myself for the adults they grow into.� � �Society and peers play a big role in molding a person, I unfortunately realize I cannot lock them in the highest room in the tallest tower, so I do monitor what they take in through all forms of media. I've blocked all cartoon stations that do not have educational programs. WQED and Sprout are the only options. I also hope that if I can instill confidence and self respect in them, they will choose the right people to associate with even when I cannot be there to make decision for them.� � I love my children with my whole heart, I would give them the shirt off my back if I knew that they needed it, so why wouldn't I give them the best; Not just material possessions but wisdom as well. I cannot change the world, I am too small of a person to do that on my own. I can however start a ripple effect, it will only effect my children and the people whose lives I touch but maybe they'll continue to pass these traits/ideas that could potentially change a nation.� � Maybe the couple had a change of heart, or maybe they scold and continued about their day I will never know. As for me, I went to bed not infuriated with the happenings of the day but with a smile on my face knowing I will be able to set a good example for not only couple but to my children.Something to think about.... A blind person cannot stereotype another person by the way they look as they cannot see them. They must judge them based on the content of their character, something they develop by talking to that person and getting to know them on a deeper level. In that sense I envy blind people. They do not have a handicap, they have a gift!
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