Six- year-old Sam asks about immigrants
I was surprised to see my six-year-old adopted niece walking across from the house next door after she got home from school yesterday afternoon. I quickly got down the ingredients for hot chocolate and got out the mini-cheesecakes I had made earlier during the day.
Me: Good afternoon Sam. It is good to see you. Did you have a good day at school?
Sam: Yes, Uncle Jim. Well, it was okay I guess.
Me: Oh! What happened at school today? First, do you want some hot chocolate and a mini-cheesecake?
Sam: Yes, please. Can I help make the hot chocolate Uncle Jim?
Me: That would be great. Let me pull the stool over by the stove. I will also get your apron.
Here we go. Let me tie the apron on for you.
Sam: Thanks Uncle Jim. Will you measure and the cocoa and water Uncle Jim?
Me: Sure. Here we go. You can begin stirring and I will measure the milk and put in on to heat.
Sam: Uncle Jim, I heard on the television that the police are arresting mothers and children and making them leave the country. Does this mean mom and I and Paul could be made to move and leave dad, you, grandpa, grandpa, mamma and pa pa?
Me: No, Sam you and your mom are citizens. Do you know what the word citizen means Sam?
Sam: Not exactly. Can we finish the hot chocolate Uncle Jim?
Me: Sure.
I pour in the heated milk and Sam stirs it while I get out the cups, the marshmallows, and the whipped cream.
Me: Looks ready.
I pour it into the cups and then add the whipped cream and the marshmallows.
I also take the cupcake paper off and mini-cheesecake and put in on a plate. Sam hops down from her stool and sits at the table.
Me: Since you are eating let me get the dictionary.
I get the dictionary from the shelf and bring it to the table.
Me: Do you know how to spell citizen Sam?
Sam: Sss it. Sitasin?
Me: No, it sounds like that doesn’t it? Actually it is c but it is just one of those things we have to memorize.
Sam: It is hard Uncle Jim
Me: Yes, it is really hard for people who come here and have to learn another language.
Let’s see. Here it is. Citizen. Here I will write it on the chalkboard so you can see it.
1. A legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized.
2. An inhabitant of a particular or city.
Sam: That is confusing Uncle Jim.
Me: Yes it is. If someone is born in this county or another country and especially if their parents already live in the country usually someone is a citizen. Sometimes, if someone gets permission they can study and take a test to become a citizen. Sometimes people do not feel safe or cannot get a job and they try to go to another country such as ours.
Sam: Is that like the mothers and children they are making leave Uncle Jim?
Me: Yes. They apparently could not get permission to come to this country and came anyway.
Sam: Why couldn’t they get permission?
Me: I am not sure, but I know the United States and most other countries only give permission to certain number of people.
Sam; Is it safe for the mother and children to go back where they came from?
Me: I don’t know. It may not be Sam?
Sam: We could let them stay in our extra room or you have extra rooms Uncle Jim. Then we could tell the police to bring them to our house or your house Uncle Jim?
Me: I wish it was that simple Sam. If we let them stay here or at your house, we would get into trouble for hiding someone who did not have permission to be in this country.
Sam: Well, if we fed them and gave them a place to live why would anyone care?
Me: I guess that the fear is that if it was that easy everyone would try to come to this country and then we would have to pay for them to go to school, the doctor, and everything else.
Sam: I could give up part or all of my allowance Uncle Jim.
Me: Well, if we all gave up our allowance maybe we could at least take more of the people who need to leave their country because it is not safe. I do not think everyone is willing to do that Sam.
Sam: What can we do Uncle Jim?
Me: Well, a friend of mine recently died and when she was young she did not have a safe home. She went back to school and eventually because a state senator and helped make new laws to help women and children who were living in unsafe homes. Because of her lots of other women and some men now have safe places to stay. So, if you study hard you could grow up and get elected to the job of helping to make new laws.
Sam: You mean like the people who want to be President?
Me: Yes. All those people believe that they can make better laws than we have now.
Sam: My mom and dad think some of them would make bad laws.
Me: Well, it is true that some of them would make it even harder for people to come to this country when they feel unsafe in another country.
Sam: Uncle Jim, I thought my grandma and grandpa came from another country.
Me: Actually, I think it was their parents who first came to this country. Some people helped them when they got here.
Sam: So if no one had helped them I would not be here.
Me: That is right. (I wisely do not talk about the fact that that she might not have been born as her if the chain of events had been different.) I am glad that they did.
Sam: Me too. I think I am going to study now Uncle Jim. Should I say a prayer for all the mothers and children getting sent back?
Me: Yes, I think that we should both do that Sam.
Written January 6, 2015
RSS Feed