Yes, We Listen, but Do We Hear?
JUne 3, 2008
On a recent flight from Washington, D.C. to Newark, I viewed a human drama that reminded me of our tendency to deny the feelings of young children.
As I was about to board the plane, the flight attendant called for persons traveling with young children and then for young children who were traveling alone. A small boy approached the attendant. He kept saying, "I'm five, I'm five" (the age at which children can travel alone on major airlines), but he looked to be about three and a half years old.
"Are you looking for your parents?" the attendant asked.
"I'm five," the boy replied. Nothing but the Truth
June 3, 2008
"Okay, who took the cupcakes?" a mother queries, looking at her three-year-old Jeff and four-year-old Joshua. Still licking the evidence from their fingers, the boys look up with solemn, chocolate-covered faces and state sincerely, "Not me, Mommy."
Dad looks in on eight-year-old Kevin, who is very involved in building a model. "Someone left some of my tools outside and they have rusted!" Dad shouts angrily. "You wouldn't know anything about this, would you?"
Kevin continues to concentrate on his model, but his hands are shaking as he mumbles, "Nope."