“…when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about…” -President Obama
Working at a school, I can honestly say nothing surprises me anymore. I have been asked if the mole on my arm is poop as well as being screamed at for asking a toddler if they would like to go potty on the toilet. Today, while playing spoons with a group of kindergartners, a conversation between three friends made my heart happy and the future of this country look bright.
T: “Hey, my mom told me that the president and the people in the white house made marriage legal for everyone. That’s pretty cool!”
Me: “Yeah, the law was just passed on Friday. I think it is amazing!”
H: “What do you mean, everyone can marry? I thought you could marry anyone you want.”
T: “Well first you have to get asked. You can’t just marry someone because you like them.”
C: “Yeah. The boy asks the girl and you have to love the person before you marry them.”
H: “Yeah, but why couldn’t two people get married before? My mommy and daddy got married.”
Me: “Mommies and daddies could get married before, too. That is still the same. What happened was the President made a law that makes it legal for anyone to marry. That means boys and girls can get married as well as a boy marrying another boy and a girl marrying another girl.”
T: “Yeah. So boys can like boys and girls can like girls.”
H: “You mean it wasn’t okay for boys to like other boys and girls to like other girls?”
T: “No. You couldn’t even like another girl because people would make fun of you.”
H: “But why would people make fun of you? That’s mean. I like everyone. You can’t make fun of a boy for liking another boy.”
Me: “That is the right attitude to have. You should be friends with everyone unless they give you a reason not to.”
H: “But like why does it matter? Why was it not okay before?”
T: “I don’t know but it is cool now.”
C: “But if two girls can get married does that mean that someone will have two mommies?”
Me: “Yep. If two girls get married and have a baby, then that baby will have two mommies. But those mommies will love the baby just as much as your mommies and daddies love you.”
T: “And if two boys get married then someone will have two daddies.” (small giggles)
H: “Yeah! Two daddies! That would be cool.”
C: “I don’t know if I would like to have two mommies.”
Me: “I am just happy to have parents that love me.”
T: “Yeah me too!”
H: “Even if I had two mommies I would still be happy because I know they love me.”
This is a game of spoons I will never forget. Our next generation will be a powerful one full of ideas to generate change and equality.