Its hard to imagine how a child's mind may work despite our assumption that they learn what they see.
One fine morning, we (I, my husband and my little son) were enjoying cups of our favorite drinks when I saw a group of children playing cricket in the slums behind our apartments. They were playing really well though instead of a bat they had wooden ply pieces(this being a construction site). We were enjoying their strokes and enthusiasm when I told my son to go and give one of his bats to the children there so that they can enjoy their game. The response was shocking and sad "I won't, they are not good... they are chee so dirty".
For a while I stood in total shock trying to understand how can my child say such a thing. But its so natural...he has never interacted with any child outside of his elite apartment and elite school. I asked him "Addwait could you please tell me what makes them different? How many eyes do you think they have, and how many ears and how many hands...and so on"...This was followed by an explanation of why they look the way they do, and that they are God's creation too and not respecting them the way they are is like humiliating God...
That day he took out not just his bat but many other toys that he thought his 'friends' would enjoy playing with him...
We are planning a cricket match soon!!!
