Children are amazing because they are still innocent and have a natural curiosity about the world. They ask and answer any question that comes to mind, and they say anything that comes to their thoughts at the time.

Mrs. Cynthia has been Holland’s waitress for many years, and the little girl loves her. She is employed at Holland’s favorite restaurant, which is located in Fort Myers and is called Waffle House. Mrs. Cynthia has known Holland since she was a little child. She usually places Holland at her preferred corner booth and delivers her raisin toast and apple juice.

At the time that Hollard turned one, the family had a good familiarity with Mrs. Cynthia. She was so close to fitting in that we could nearly consider her a part of the extended family.

They pray for one another and even talk about what’s going on in each other’s life as they’re doing it.

Mary Katherine, Holland’s mother, prayed for Mrs. Cynthia’s adult son, while Mrs. Cynthia prayed for Mary Katherine in her fight against breast cancer.
A novelist by the name of Mary Katherine Backstrom wrote a book in the part of the restaurant known as Mrs. Cynthia’s while the waiter gave her an unending supply of cups of coffee to feed her imagination. But tiny Holland was the only one who cherished Mrs. Cynthia more than anybody else.

In point of fact, Holland insisted that the Waffle House serve as the location for her birthday party. Because she is such a frequent customer there, Mrs. Cynthia puts her order as soon as she sees that she has arrived in her automobile. Their love for one another is unwavering, and their respect for one another permeates every aspect of their relationship.

Up until that point, Holland’s query to Mrs. Cynthia always managed to take her mother by surprise. During the hush that followed, you wouldn’t have been able to hear a pin drop. There was a rapid acceleration in Mary Katherine’s pulse.

“Yes, Mrs. Cynthia, I would love to have skin as dark as yours. Why is your skin so dark?”

But Mary Katherine shouldn’t have been so anxious about the situation. Mrs. Cynthia responded to her question with an honesty that was both so bare and so beautiful that it served as a lesson in life for both Holland and Mary Katherine.

“Because God gave each person their own unique characteristics! That’s fantastic, isn’t it?!”

Holland nodded yes. However, she still had a few more innocent and sincere questions for her friend. The aspect that was obviously the most essential to her was connected to the Disney character that she adored the most.

If only I had your skin, Mrs. Cynthia, we could both dress up like Tiana!

Mrs. Cynthia couldn’t contain her laughter as she listened to her little friend’s adorable remark.

“Tiana’s style is always appropriate for you to emulate, honey.”

And just like that, the instructive moment was passed, along with the opportunity for both Holland and Mary Katherine to gain some valuable insight about life.

My kid, who is only three years old, is already able to tell the difference between a black lady and a white woman. People aren’t born without awareness of the ways in which we vary from one another. To tell people that these distinctions don’t exist is, in all honesty, insulting in so many different ways. What we need to do is make it a point to educate our children to recognize and value the qualities that set the people of God apart from everyone else in the world. Whether it be their race, their nation of origin, or the religious beliefs they hold… We need to speak about these topics. Because spoiler alert: our kids ALREADY see them.”

Mary Katherine later recognized that the reason she froze when Holland inadvertently brought up the topic of race with the lady she loved who happens to have a different skin color was that she didn’t want to screw up her answer. She was very sensitive to the fact that she may offend someone by saying the wrong thing. She felt it was important for her kid to understand that the color of someone’s skin was irrelevant.

“…fear is a lie,” you said. And as a teacher, silence is a dreadful thing. We give thanks to God for Mrs. Cynthia’s maturity and generosity. In the future, I won’t try to prevent my children from inquiring about the world around them since I’m curious myself. I won’t intimidate them into silence or indoctrinate them with the idea that talking about “diversity” is either risky or inappropriate. Instead, I will share with them the straightforward and unadulterated truth that our cherished friend Mrs. Cynthia shared with us, which is as follows: “God created everyone differently.” And doesn’t it make you happy? ’”

What a heartwarming example of harsh honesty and lovely parenting Mary Katherine shared with the world through the internet. We can only hope that every youngster, just like Holland, grows up to appreciate the inherent beauty in each person, rather than focusing only on the outward appearance of others.