Lesson from a 4 year old!
My God-daughter (age 4 & 1/2), out of her own mind, asked Santa for just two things: food and clothes to all the children in the world.
All the grown-ups in the room stopped for a moment. Some laughed, some smiled, some made a few jokes (the “miss congeniality” kind of jokes).
I confess I got a bit puzzled, as were her parents for all that matters, and I asked her why wasn’t she asking for toys as most kids do.
Her answer: “Mama and Daddy and you all give me toys and all the stuff I need, Santa can save money in my toys and help the poor children”.
All the grown-ups in the room stopped for a moment. Some laughed, some smiled, some made a few jokes (the “miss congeniality” kind of jokes).
I confess I got a bit puzzled, as were her parents for all that matters, and I asked her why wasn’t she asking for toys as most kids do.
Her answer: “Mama and Daddy and you all give me toys and all the stuff I need, Santa can save money in my toys and help the poor children”.
posted by DCveR at 8:55 AM
19 Comments:
That's truly inspirational coming from a 4 yr. old. She must have a beautiful spirit.
I'm very proud of my twin 5 yr. olds, but, I don't think I'll be hearing the same kind of selfless compassion coming from them.
You gotta love em either way.
What a truly lovely child. I hope she stays like this all her life...yes, it is possible. Please tell her.
And tell her there is one person far, far away who thinks that what she said was beautiful.
I am going to send this post to every single person I know.
P.S. I wish the adults hadn't laughed. It would make the child wonder if she'd said something foolish.
Kids never stop teaching us all sorts!
Wow. I always wonder how much of that kind of thing is nature or nurture. Seems like she's got a clear mind about what she thinks the season is about.
chill daddy: Another friend's kid, boy, eleven, on an interview for a local magazine:"I know people expect me to say something big in an interview, like world peace, but what I really wish for christmas is a bike and an Xbox 360". And he is a great kid too.
GG: I am almost certain you'd laugh too, it was really funny, because she was dead serious. I don't think we could confuse her that easily.
cream: They tend to see things as they should be instead of measuring all the pros and cons, that alone should be a lesson to us always.
glitzy: I don't know either, after this scene I asked both her parents and they were as surprised as I was, nobody had "coached" her. She sometimes asks things or comes up with ideas that nobody expects from such a wee person, and she remembers it long after.
hahahaha,
that is why I love being around kids
no filter
no agenda
no fear
some times i get jelous when i'm around kids, because they say stuff like that and really believe that its possible! they make it sound so simple and so real-
than unfortunately we all grow up and realize that - it AINT GONNA HAPPEN-
i guess i'm jelous of their belief that they could really change the world- i used to be like that - but not anymore....
(ok, lets all go cry now)
There *is* hope! I didn't know kids like that still existed these days!
phoenix: They are so honest that sometimes they manage to get US embarassed.
ale: The difficult part is not to spoil them! After this ALL of us felt like giving her the world. But no worries here, her xmas present was bought a week ago, no influence here.
nml: This is not the first case I've seen. Kids can be extremely cruel without even noticing and can be the most generous creatures on Earth. And the funny part is that they can be both within minutes, it really is brutal honesty and purest feelings working together.
tacit: I HAVE to keep an eye on her, after all I'm her Godfather, right? ;)
At 4 1/2 she gets it..the spirit of Christmas. I hope Santa gives her what she wants :)
I am so touched by her word..sob sob..
shortensweet: What amazes me most is the fact she still talks about Santa.
starlet: She is a sweet little girl.
What a darling! A lesson we should all learn.
penny & bent: You do realize that kind of comments will only make us drool more over these little angels, don't you?
I told this story to Chris and Kyle and they said they understood the point, but could not bring themselves to offer same. Sigh, already corrupted by the material world at the tender age of ten!
kris: Would any of us really be happy asking for nothing?
ECHO will take her as a trainee like a shot. Try and get her to do an economics degree, or accounting. Very needed in the NGO world.
marianne: For the time being the only thing I want her to do is to have a great infancy, to learn a lot and to have all the fun every child should have. Later I hope she will study whatever she likes to and not whatever she thinks will bring her more money... eventually she will find her way to ECHO or to some NGO. BTW, a friend of mine who is ending his MBA now is working with Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome (foodbank here, not sure if you've heard about it, I've worked there sometimes too), he said exactly the same, and people with experience in managing logistics (he's asking me to go back, although my managing skills come mainly from boy scouts).
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