Depth-Perpend

I sit here and perpend the events of the evening. My daughter was telling my tonight that some kids at school call her names like "Jerk" and "Stupid". I think about the things that I have been called in my life: Nigger, Stupid, Liar, Cheater, Loser, Jerk, Drunk, Druggie, Asshole and so many others. At one point or another I deserved every name I was called and even now a few of those can be apropos from time to time (I realize I am not perfect), but now I am called by many names that are such a long way off from those others: Father, Husband, Brother, Friend, Man. It broke my heart hearing my daughter talking about these "mean things" they were calling her. I sat her down in front of me and told her that sometimes everyone acts like a jerk. As for being called stupid I asked her what she thought of herself, whether she was smart or stupid. She told me that she thought she was smart and I said that's all that matters. I asked her if all the kids at school thought she was stupid and she named off seven or eight that thought she was smart and then I asked her what she should do and she said "just play with the ones who think I'm smart." Amazing how someone who is just 5 can grasp a concept with such depth and help me realize a few things about myself in the process. Nite Y'all.

 

"Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

J. K. Rowling