United Nations

As I bopped down the hall first thing yesterday morning, hordes of kids were making their way to class. It was picture day, so I was privy to a parade of spiffily decked-out children. A dark-eyed kindergartner flashed open her coat to show me her outfit and proclaimed, "Look Miss Mimi, I'm beautiful!" Indeed she was, all scrubbed and shiny-faced. She wore a dark-colored skirt, a princess sweatshirt adorned with pink butterflies, gray and pink argyle leggings, and boots. Her pony-tail was topped off with a frilly bow. While I oohed and aahed, a classmate came up, opened her own coat, and said, "Look! I'm wearing a church dress!" This one sported a precious purple knit dress with a belt and metallic boots. At this point, we were joined by a third friend who unzipped her coat to say, "And look at what I'm wearing!" This one modeled a gray and purple plaid pleated skirt, cardigan, and boots, and she proudly thrust her tummy out to show just how pretty she felt! Giggling and admiring each other's picture-day outfits, each threw an arm around another's shoulder and they sashayed into class together. Witnessing this spectacle, I felt gratified that these little cherubs had parents who took the time to help them get gussied-up in their very best school clothes for kindergarten pictures. I was also impressed with the fact that the children so obviously felt confident about themselves. It was only later, as I remembered this snippet of my day, that I realized something even more important. Although each of these three girls was from a different ethnicity, they were the best of pals, treating each other with admiration and respect. We adults certainly have a lot to learn from the little ones in our care!