Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/docia-shares-a-story-about-preceptions-of-similarities-and-differences/5008924/
I stood in the doorway of the center and watched Rose and Mitzie run toward me. They were smiling. I could see they were excited and had something to share with me. I waited expectantly. Mitzie shouted, "We're twins! We're twins!" I looked at them and wondered how they had arrived at that decision. Mitzie was tall, slim, fair, with blue eyes and blonde hair. Rose was small, Asian, with dark hair and big brown eyes. I asked, "What makes you twins?" Giggling, they opened their mouths, and lo and behold each had a missing front tooth.It was as simple as that. No concern about racial, or cultural, or developmental differences - just friends enjoying something they had in common - sharing an experience that had meaning for them, that delighted them, that strengthened a relationship.
What I saw and heard made me want to look again at how I perceived similarities, likenesses, and differences. How could I as an adult capture and transfer that wonderful feeling of togetherness to my everyday living and working with people? I remember Millie Almy writing that when we reflect on what children ...