Kid: “Why are some people so mean?”

Me: “Wow what a great question! What do you think?”

Kid: “I don’t know.”

Me: “Let’s think about that for awhile.”

Kid: “I dunno.”

Me: “Well, that question reminds me of another question.”

Kid: “What?”

Me: “Why are some people so nice?”

Kid: “Cuz that’s just who they are and how they are.”

Me: “I bet that’s probably part of it.”

Kid: “Maybe they’re so nice because that’s how they choose to be.”

Me: “WOW! You mean we can choose to be nice, even if we don’t want to be?”

Kid: “Yeah, we can. Nice is a choice. So is mean.”

Me: “I’d say you’re pretty good at answering those big questions you come up with.

Kid: “Some things we just have to sit and think about for awhile.”

While this child and I continued on about this discussion for awhile, and I assessed whether or not he was being bullied (he was not)…it got me to thinking a little more about this on my own.

Alone in my office at the end of that meeting, I was left with my own thoughts on the subject:

“Being mean is less of a reflection of where someone has been in their life as much as it a reflection of where they want to go in their life.”

This is true from the schoolroom to the boardroom.

What do you think?


http://www.examiner.com/family-in-marquette/why-are-some-people-so-mean