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seats and began trying to pull one down. From Kim waited until I turned away. Then she
her place in line, his mom scolded, “Anton, stop snagged the box of Froot Loops, dropped it on
that. If you pull on those, they’ll fall on your her breakfast tray, and draped her napkin over it.
head and you’ll get hurt.” As we carried our trays from the overcrowded
As soon as she turned away, the little kid breakfast lounge back to our hotel room, Kim
began to pull on the boosters again. lagged behind the rest of us.
Kim saw her chance! She could recover this Her Dad loomed up beside her. “Did you
mom’s esteem and feel helpful and good again. take those Froot Loops, after your mom told
So she went over by the boy, put her back against you not to?”
the stack and her arm out in front of the boy. She opened her beautiful blue eyes wide.
She said, “Your mom said no.” “No, Daddy.”
For the little boy’s mom, that was the last “Yes, you did, I saw you. And now you are
straw. From her place at the front of her line, lying to me. I think I know why you are lying.
she screamed, “You leave my boy alone!” It’s uncomfortable to be caught misbehaving.
Chris turned and stared at her. “What But do you know why telling the truth is so
happened?” important, even when it would be much more
“She’s a bully! She’s pushing my boy around!” comfortable to tell a lie?”
My shy, introverted husband yelled back, “She Mutely, Kim shook her head.
did not. My daughter wouldn’t do that!” “Do you remember that day when that
The woman waggled her head, her hand on mommy in McDonald’s yelled at you, and how I
her hip, as she yelled, “You’d better take another jumped in right away to defend you, even though
look!” I had no idea what had happened until after it
The whole restaurant went quiet. was all over?”
Except for that mom, who kept Kim nodded.
right on yelling. “Well, I knew you were a
The black manager, good person, and I trusted you
from behind the counter, to make good decisions. I didn’t
murmured, “Would you like have to wonder about that. I just
your order to go, sir?” spoke up for you.” He paused, to
“Yes, please.” Chris gathered let that sink in. “So, if something
up the bags, scooped Caleb up like that ever happens again, I
and hurried Kim out. don’t ever want to have to hesi-
Kim says, “I remember tate, to wonder if you’re a good
sitting in the back seat, holding person. I want to always keep
my French fries, trying to make my trust that you are a person
sense out of what had just that tells the truth and does the
happened.”
right thing.” Again, he paused.
Kim’s Story, Part 2: “Let’s walk together back to the
Kim is not sure how much breakfast room, so you can put
later this second part of her story those Froot Loops back and pick
occurred, but she said, “I could see some other cereal.”
the tops of tables, now.” They did.
Our family was staying at a hotel Chris quickly forgot the whole thing. To him,
somewhere, one of those places that offers a it was just another day, another moment in the
self-serve breakfast in the dining room. Among endless parental struggle to civilize our young
other offerings, they had a lineup of those little savages.
boxes of cereals: Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Corn
Flakes, Froot Loops. What moral do you hear, in this two-part
Kim grabbed the Froot Loops. I, her watchful story?
mom, said, “No way, kiddo. Put those back. Those When our now-30-year-old Kim told us this
are pure sugar, and you are not having sugar for story, she said, “To me, those moments were
breakfast. Make a better choice.” critical. I began to consider that my own actions
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 7 JANUARY, 2017 45
