A few weeks ago, my son Tyler, my mother-in-law, and my wife were sitting together in a doctor’s waiting room. As we waited, Tyler spotted a woman across the room and, without hesitation, loudly asked, “Hey dad, why does that lady have crazy mean eyebrows?”
I immediately looked at her. She immediately looked at me. For a few heart-stopping seconds, it was just the three of us caught in a very uncomfortable triangle.
Thinking fast, I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Hey buddy, they’re not mean. So, what do you want to do later today?” I said, hoping to redirect him before things got worse.
It backfired spectacularly.
“But dad, why are they so crazy-looking though?” he asked, even louder this time.
Truth be told, her eyebrows were definitely unique. But over the years, I have seen so many unusual things that I hardly notice anymore. Tyler, however, was experiencing life with a fresh pair of unfiltered eyes.
I gave the woman a sheepish smile. She gave me a sharp scowl and then looked away.
Once we left the waiting room, I gently coached Tyler. Kids do not automatically know all the unwritten social rules we live by. We pick them up slowly, sometimes too slowly, to avoid making someone else uncomfortable along the way.
If you have kids, I am sure you have had moments like this too. How did you handle them? Did your redirection work better than mine? I would love to hear your stories.