My two oldest children attended a middle school youth group event for the first time in their lives. They were invited by a cousin and had a great night bowling with kids in their age groups. Now, we are a nonreligious family. We choose to teach our children about all religions and faiths. With this and in their public school halls, they have learned to never judge, accountability, respect, and to accept people as they are. This includes all religions and ethnicities.
This was different from the Catholic school world I grew up in. Where the bible was misconstrued countless times, the saying "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" was preached but not always practiced, and uniforms were life. My children have never had a uniform nor have they ever had clothing restrictions, other than the typical "let's not wear pajamas to the store today please." My children have never known the struggle of making sure a dress hit below the knees, which as a tall person, sucks.
So, back to this youth group thing. They had a blast bowling, but when they returned, they had a big question.
"Why do girls have to wear one pieces to the youth group swimming day?" Confused, because I had not been there, I asked them to elaborate. "Well, they were making announcements about upcoming things they're doing. They said all girls have to wear a one piece to the pool, no two pieces are allow. Why?" I explained Catholic thinking as best as I could, but the minis stared blankly at me for several uncomfortable seconds.
The middle one pipped up. "Okay, so why? I still don't get it. Why can't the girls wear what they want to wear? They can tell the boys that are looking at them to just stop. It shouldn't be a big deal and it's not up to just the girls. I feel bad for them. It seems more like a guy problem than a girl problem."
Boom. Folks, if my eleven year old son can think like this, we all should be able to. I have always hoped to give my children qualities that will take them far in life: open mindedness, acceptance, critical thinking, understanding, love, and common sense. My pre-teen boy showed all of those in a subject many adults don't process. I have never been so proud of one of my kids as I was in that moment.
