by RumpleTeazer
I received a phone call today from my friends daughter. She is here in Ohio visiting her father for the first time, ever. (At 13 years old, this is the first time she has met him.) She called to find out when I would be able to spend time with her and we ended up talking for quite a while, catching up on what's been happening in our lives. During the course of our conversation, she told me that her father is trying to talk her into moving here and living with him. After my initial shock, I asked her why he wanted her to move here. The answer floored me! It seems that he does not like the fact that there are so many homosexuals and African Americans in her life (mind you, these were not his exact words).
This child was nearly raised by a gay man. He, along with her mother, have always been there, taking care of her, providing for her, and trying to teach her the best way they know how, in a loving and supportive environment. He has always been her father figure and, I might add, a damn fine one. He's never pushed his lifestyle on her, to the contrary, I think he has protected her from it quite well. Of course, this fact was lost on the man who was absent for 99.9% of her life.
As for the other, we have several friends who are African American, one of whom has been in her life since the age of four. She has been a very positive influence on my friends daughter, as well as the rest of us. Always patient and ready to help us with anything we may not understand. It breaks my heart to think that there is someone out there ready to disrespect such a wonderful woman just because of her skin tone.
I have to admit, the whole situation has my blood boiling. The fact that this man thinks he can walk into her life after so many years and become an "instant father", trying to tell her who she should be around and who she shouldn't, appalls me. Especially when he is openly insulting the very people who mean the most to her.
Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon attitude for the area we live in. Every day I see people hating each other because they are different from themselves. I've never understood or agreed with this (personally, I think the world would be very boring if we were all alike), but I believe in the old saying "live and let live", meaning that, if you have to be that way, so be it, just don't bring me into it. I'll do whatever I can to help you understand, if you're willing. However, in my opinion, I believe this man has crossed the line. Trying to instill prejudice values in a 13 year old who is looking at him as a father.
As I was ranting and raving (mostly to myself, of course) she hit me with her response to the matter. What she said has given me new hope for our future as a country as well as making me extremely proud of her. She said, "He's going to believe what he wants to believe, I can't change that, but it's not what I believe." It was that simple to her, someone so young and seemingly innocent. It gives me pause, that even in her youth, she's more mature than most adults I know. And maybe that is the way it is, we are all born with a basic love and need for one another, but somewhere along the way we get confused about how we feel and what we are taught. We stop seeing each other as human beings. We see an enemy where we once saw a friend.
In retrospect, I realize just how well this child has been raised. She has a good heart and a strong personality. I'm sure she will go far in this world and maybe, just maybe, she will be able to change how her father believes.
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