The funniest thing has emerged from our visit to NYC.
Before I go into what has transpired, I want to remind you that my children are used to going everywhere in a car. We don’t walk in Florida. It’s just something that’s not done.
All this walking and taking trains and taxis is just plain cool for them.
On our very first day here, I wanted to make sure that the kids knew how important it was to be careful in the big city. I explained to them that not only were there thousands of people walking the streets, but that there were cars, buses and trucks coming from every which way.
When we approached our first street corner to cross, I pointed out to them that you need to look at the sign across the street from you. “If there is a red hand, that means you need to STOP. You cannot cross the street. If there is a "white man walking", then that means that you can cross the street.”
Immediately they caught on to when it was safe to cross. The only problem is that wherever we are, when the walking signal changes, Kai yells out at the top of his little lungs, “WHITE MAN WALKING!” to assure us all (bystanders included) that it’s safe to cross the street.
Now, after 5 days of listening to him proclaim his new found wisdom (at every street corner and trust me, we walk miles and miles daily) the other two little ones have caught on. There's rarely a street corner we stand on that people don't turn to look at us when they hear, "White Man Walking!" The funny thing is that now sweet hubby and I have both caught ourselves telling them it's time to cross the street when we see the "white man walking" sign light up by yelling out, "Let's go! White Man Walking!" as we quickly move them along.
Therefore, don't be surprised if you happen to be standing on a street corner in Manhattan and you hear high-pitched little voices yelling, “White Man Walking”. It's vital to remember that these little people are not saying this in the same context as “dead man walking” and they certainly are not engaging in any type of racist comments.
Instead, our sweet children are just three concerned little preschoolers advising all around them that it is now safe to cross the street.
P.S. Since some of you have asked, still no sightings of "The Man" ::sniff::
Matthew and Kai soon became good buddies.
