Where did all the innocence go?
I just got home from babysitting...got greeted by a very drunk mother 2 and a half hours after she said she'd be home. Don't worry, I don't have anything to do! Or anyone to talk to! I don't need to be home, take your time. (insert sarcasm)
I took the boys to McDonald's for dinner tonight, since the Mighty Kids Meal is their meal of choice. We got there and no more than one minute after we entered the door, they were running to play in the Play Place. At first when we arrived, the Play Place was deserted except for one family with a dark skinned, Native American looking girl, around the age of 5. There was one other girl there who was the same age as Logan (6) and they became fast friends. I noticed the little girl's mother. She could not have been more than 20 years old, or maybe she just looked young. She looked so tired, her eyes were drooping and her hair was messy, but she was doing school work while her daughter played.
About 15 minutes later, 2 beautiful black girls came in with their pregnant mother and a man she was with. They had to have been close to Ethan and Logan's age, too, because soon, all of the kids were playing together. They were playing hide and go seek in the tunnels and chasing each other up and down the slides.
Immediately following the 2 girls, a man and his daughter came in. He looked pretty middle-class, very dirty, like he had a hard day of work but decided to take his daughter to McDonald's for a cheap, satisfying meal. His eyes glistened when he looked at that angel. The little girl had denim overalls and a pink shirt on and quickly joined the playgroup.
Around that time, a woman and her husband and their Down Syndrome son named Cameron joined the Play Place. Cameron walked around holding his hamburger and banging on the colorful tables, but had a constant smile on his face. One of the little girls took Cameron's hand and led him into the Play Place.
Another man and his 2 kids came in. He, also, was dirty with long hair, who looked like he had a hard day's work as well, no doubt one of society's "lower class members". His daughter was the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen in my life. She was probably 8 years old and had a grey shirt on that said "Perfect" in bright pink letters. Could not have described her more to a tee. She had huge green eyes, long eyelashes and long, straight brown hair. Her brother, while younger, looked identical to her. Up the slide they went and joined the others.
Pretty soon, the place was bursting with children's laughter, and I thought to myself:
When did this end for me?
When did this age of innocence end?
The kids didn't notice skin colors. They didn't notice how much money each kids parents made. They didn't notice disabilities or differences. They didn't notice social class or status. It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time. Everyone just got along. There was no reason not to. Everyone is equal in the eyes of a child. All they were concerned with was having an amazing time with each other, which they did.
We only stayed for an hour and a half, but the time flew by. Thank God for children and the hope they give to an otherwise hopeless world.