A few months ago, I picked up a BrainQuest game to keep in the car on a roadtrips.
Yesterday, I started going through it as we waited for an appointment to end.
The questions and stories are targeted for second graders.
The whole idea is to check knowledge, prompt answers, and promote critical-thinking skills in children.
“Out of the mouth of babes…”
Psalm 8:2 & Matthew 21:16
One question asked: “If you were in charge of the country, what is one law that you would want passed?”
Later on, over dinner, I asked the 7-year old what was a law that she wanted.
Relaxed and with bright toothless grin, she said, “Free candy!”
Moment of Clarity
I laughed and responded, “That is what you want, but what about something you don’t want to happen?”
With that prompt, her smile evaporated almost immediately.
Her body language changed completely.
Her expression became very serious.
She slowly articulated what she didn’t want.
She explained that she didn’t want it to be like the time when white people and Black people couldn’t be together.
Say, What?
I made an attempt to conceal my surprise at the clear and concise answer, because now I had all sorts of questions.
So. Many. Questions.
Why was that a worry? How did it affect her? When did this become as important as free candy?!?
Dadsplainer
In the mind of a little girl with two grandparents born in Mexico and two grandparents born in India, her concern for American law was deeply existential.
She said, “You’re, like, kinda Black and Mami is white, so if you couldn’t be together, than I wouldn’t be here!”
Left unspoken: “Duh, Papi…”
There were rules of society which had previously existed.
She had processed how the policy would have affected her, personally.
Where she landed was: “there oughta be a law to make sure I exist, bro.”
Future Justice
The Supreme Court ruling in Loving v Virginia was based on the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
I’ve observed that the 7-year old has a finely-tuned sense of justice.
As a parent, I’ve witnessed as she intuitively and vocally advocates for anyone harmed by the unequal application of rules, morality, or norms.
When some future faction plots lawfare against the Republic to overturn the 14th Amendment, rest assured in how Justice Frida will rule.