The wonderful thing about toddlers is that they say exactly what’s on their minds. To the amusement of the Internet, one South Carolina girl did just that after a cashier questioned the doll she chose to buy.
On Facebook, mom Brandi Benner explained that she took her two-year-old daughter Sophia to Target to buy a toy as a reward for completing potty training.
The tiny tot happily picked out a doll, but because the toy did not have the same skin colour as Sophia, the cashier was quick to question her choice.
At first, the employee thought Sophia was going to a birthday party and buying the doll for a friend. After Benner corrected her, the cashier went on to say, “Are you sure this is the doll you want, honey? … But she doesn't look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you.”
Before Benner could respond, Sophia snapped back with a brilliant response.
“Yes, she does. She's a doctor like I'm a doctor,” she said. “And I'm a pretty girl and she's a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?”
Naturally, the Target employee dropped the issue.
According to the South Carolina mom, Sophia is a fan of the animated show “Doc McStuffins,” which features a six-year-old girl who is a doctor. Oh, and she just happens to be black.
But Sophia doesn’t see skin colour, which is why she happily spent 20 minutes looking for a doll at the store who had the same career goals as her.
“She kept going back to the doctor doll, because in her mind, she is already a doctor,” Benner told ABC7. “She loves giving checkups, and if you come in the house, she'll tell you that's the first thing you need.”
The mom shared her daughter’s story on Facebook to emphasize the importance of teaching kids about love and diversity.
“This experience just confirmed my belief that we aren't born with the idea that colour matters,” she wrote. “Skin comes in different colours just like hair and eyes and every shade is beautiful.”
In the comment section of the post — which has now been shared more than 192,000 times — many praised the mom for raising her daughter to see past skin colour.
Some shared stories about their own kids and their dolls.
And some even admitted to having (and loving) dolls of different skin tones when they were younger.
Reacting to the positive response she received from her post, Benner told FOX 13 News, “I never in a million years could have imagined the overwhelming response to my post. I'm so happy it is promoting love and diversity.”
Issues of race and racism are more apparent today than ever, which is one reason why it’s so important to teach our kids about them. According to a New York Times op-ed by mom Jennifer Harvey, these discussions need to happen regardless of your own ethnicity.
“When we don’t talk honestly with white children about racism, they become more likely to disbelieve or discount their peers when they report experiencing racism,” she wrote.
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