What we tell them

Yesterday some of the staff got up super early to watch the Twins play the Tigers for the American League Central title. It was a great game and it went into extra innings. We were watching at the school, and the kids arrived before the game was over. So we let them watch. We are just about all Minnesotans on the staff so we were cheering pretty aggressively for the Twins. Before long the kids were joining us, cheering for a sport that they do not know much about and for a team that they know nothing about. Because we were.

This got me to thinking about the responsibilities of being people of significant influence in kids' lives. They follow us. They believe us. They imitate us. If we say the Twins are the greatest they will buy that. If you ask most of our kids about their favorite state in the U.S., they will answer "Minnesota" without hesitating. They have heard us talk about our home state and they have met a lot of good people from there. We are the closest thing to family that our kids have at this point in their lives, so they feel connected to Minnesota, and, it seems, the Twins, in ways that are at the same time heartwarming and a little sad.

Some day many of these kids will be adopted and join families in countries around the world. Some of them will become Americans. Some will live in Minnesota and others will join families in other states, with other home teams. And then they will take the cue from their adoptive parents about which team is best. And eventually, they will make up their own minds about these and other more important matters, and pass those values down to their own children. But for now, they are watching us and learning.