Photo and Blog a Day Challenge-Day 25/28: Shiny

A lonely, empty, kid-sized Batmobile sat on its motorized pedestal in front of the planter covered in dingy snow. The blue sky and shadows are deceiving, as the daytime saw a high in the mid-20s this fourth week of February. The cold weather keeps many potential customers at home, and without the crowds, there are no young heroes sitting behind the wheel of this sleek, shiny ride.

Later on in the afternoon I saw this gentlemen and his shiny car.

In a Target parking lot, he walked up to the driver's side, inspected the front of the car, walked towards the back to check out the rear bumper, tossed his bag in the back seat, and lit his cigarette. Why he didn't check out the passenger side is beyond me, but he stayed outside while he puffed away in the frigidly windy parking lot.

I wasn't sure if it was his personal car, or a work car that he was in charge of, but by the way he checked out the sides and smoked his cigarette outside, it looks like he didn't want anything to blemish the luxury car. So, like anyone else would, chose the least precarious when he departed...

Oh, wait. He actually put his car in plenty of scratch danger weaving through as many stray carts as possible. Awkward.

Arnold, the ferret/raccoon hybrid on my dashboard was just as perplexed.

I don't really have a segue, so this will have to do.

Shifting gears (you like that? with the cars and all...)

Shiny. I couldn't find a picture to properly launch me into what I had already intended on sharing today. It's funny because I laugh at it now, but it really is a sadly in appropriate story.

Several months ago, let's say last summer, I was at an Italian deli on my lunch break from Old Navy. While I was finishing up, a group of four individuals walked in. Two males, probably late 20s, in jeans, camo t-shirts, and ball caps, a young girl, possibly one of the males' daughters, probably around 6 or 7 years old, and an older woman, who appeared to be the girl's grandmother.

When I was getting up to toss my napkin and grinder wrapper in the trash, the two men had gone up to the counter to place their order, leaving the girl and grandmother at the table. Passing them on my way out, I smiled and said hello. The grandmother smiled and said hello, and the girl blurted out what I heard to be, "Whatchu lookin at, shiny guy?"

As I walked out I laughed thinking, "Shiny guy? That's a first." And then it hit me. She was saying, "Whatchu lookin at, Chinese guy?" And I immediately became a little nauseous and sad for her.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to get all Sen. Melvin on you and say there isn't any racism in America, Indiana, or anywhere. I know better. What makes me sad is that someone that young has already been injected with behaviors and stereotypes that are probably commonplace at home, school, or both.

How we talk to and around children is more important than many realize. I wrote a post on this topic last month, in regards to body image and how we greet children. See Minding the Gaps and Burning Bridges here.

I have no answer for the masses. I will only have answers for my (hopefully) eventual children, and those I have a role in helping nurture. It isn't the most appealing or fun of roles, but it's an important one for the future.

I came across this video earlier today via Upworthy. About baby showers, and how this is the best time to dash gender molds.



I want an open field for my child's life. I don't want to pigeonhole them or write their future for them. I want to help them learn and discover so that they can then decide what they're passionate about to change the world.

I'm getting pretty close. Each year it reveals itself a little more. Between NaNoWriMo and this Photo Blog Challenge it looks even clearer.

I hope you've been enjoying it as much as I have been.

Three more to go...at least for February. ;)