Tag: chatting

Posted on

Chatting With Lexi: On Prejudice

racism prejudice 2I happened to be skimming through my Facebook newsfeed one day when Lexi comes in the room and glances at my screen. Luckily none of those swear-happy memes were up on the screen, but unluckily it was a large photo of a certain basketball team owner who said some horrible things about a particular group of people. I was hoping that Lexi hadn’t seen the photo and wouldn’t ask about it, but then again, on some level, I wanted her to ask. Because it’s never too young to learn the truth about some people, and to help sort out some questions she might have.

And boy, did she have a lot of thoughts on the subject.

Lexi: Who’s that guy? He looks really old.

Me: That’s the owner of a basketball team.

Lexi: Wow, so he must have a lot of money.

Me: Yes, he does, but that’s not why he’s in the news.

Lexi: Why is he in the news?

Me: Well, he said some bad things about people.

Lexi: What did he say?

Me: Just some really bad things about black people, and everyone is upset over it. That’s why he’s in the news.

Lexi: Wait. Don’t black people play basketball?

Me: A lot of people play basketball, but yes, black people too.

Lexi: So, if he likes basketball why would he say bad things about people who play on his team?

Me: That’s the point, Lexi. Lots of people have thoughts like that about particular groups of people. They just don’t say it out loud. But just having those feelings is wrong, whether or not you say them out loud.

Lexi: Yeah, if I didn’t like somebody I would just say it.

Me: But you would have a valid reason for not liking them, right?

Lexi: Yeah, like with Emma*, if she pushed me I wouldn’t like her.

Me: Right, but black people never did anything wrong to this man. He just doesn’t like them for whatever reason. That’s wrong, to hate one group of people like that.

Lexi: I’m black. Continue reading “Chatting With Lexi: On Prejudice”

Posted on

Chatting With Lexi: On the Farm

thI try my hardest not to think about my time working on a farm. You can understand how me, a city boy, blanches every time a farm animal is mentioned, right? But my children are different, and I think they get it from their mother (who is a bona fide country girl through and through). They walk around here barefoot, they like Travis Tritt, and they like all things farm-related. Of course sometimes they might like things they don’t really know too much about.

Hmmmm. As always, Lexi and I have a lot of our most compelling conversations when it’s my bath night, and tonight was no exception.

Me: What did you do today?

Lexi: I had fun with the animals.

Me: What animals?

Lexi: Um, there were goats, and a llama. And my cow.

Me: You have a cow?

Lexi: Yeah, I have a cow. He puts out the fertilizer.

Me: Your cow is a boy?

Lexi: No, silly. He’s a girl.

Me: Uh, okay. How does she put out the fertilizer?

Lexi: You know.

Me: I do, but I’m not sure you do.

Lexi: Of course I do. It comes from his milk.

Me: His milk?

Lexi: Yeah, but first you have to get the milk out of him. Continue reading “Chatting With Lexi: On the Farm”

Posted on

Chatting With Lexi: On Chickens

funny kfc cartoonMy wife and I switch off on bath nights, but tonight was my second in a row (which I was glad to do), and needless to say last night was no picnic. So, I had no real preconceptions about what tonight would hold, except to say that I figured it couldn’t be any worse than the previous night. I was both right and wrong.

I let the girls have their toys for the first time during my bath nights in quite a while and they were appreciative. However, their play time created a little lake on the floor, which didn’t please me, especially since some of the water made its way onto my pants. Yeah, not pleased. But the conversation, it was interesting as usual.

Lexi: Why is a chicken up first in the morning?

Me: That’s a rooster.

Lexi: But isn’t a rooster a symbol for a chicken?

Me: I heard no cymbals.

Lexi: No! Not cymbals. Symbols!

Me: Yeah, they make good noise, but I don’t see how you would strap them on chickens.

Lexi: No! No! Symbols! Symbols!

Me: I know, like chickens.

Lexi: Like roosters, right? Continue reading “Chatting With Lexi: On Chickens”