The Words of a 7 Year Old: "Sad for Kayla"

I wanted to see what a typical child thought about the whole issue of washing uniforms in middle school. 

So I presented the scenario to my son.

I asked him, "Lucas, when you get to middle school what would you think if you were told that your class and only your class was going to learn to do laundry? And to learn to do this laundry only your class would be washing the football team's uniforms."

I stressed that it was only his class because I didn't want the hypothetical question to be a generalization of doing laundry in middle school. I didn't want to present it as, "hey how would you feel if you learned to do laundry when you were in middle school?"

I stressed this was only his class so he would understand the specifics of it - that it is indeed only one class washing the uniforms. He had no prior knowledge of the situation or my feelings about it.

He replied, "Sad."

Me, "Why would you think it was sad?"

L, "Well just my class would be washing the uniforms?"

Me, "Yes, just your class, none of the other classes in the rest of the school would be washing the uniforms. How do you think that would make you feel?"

L, "It would make me feel kinda mad, because why should only we have to do that? And the uniforms are probably all sweaty!"

M, "How would you feel if I told you that the classroom they want Kayla to go to when she goes to middle school does that?"

He stared at me with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open; speechless.

Finally he says, "Seriously?!"

Me, "Yeah. There are only students with disabilities in that classroom; and only their classroom does that."

L, "Seriously?"

Me, "Yes. How does that make you feel?"

L, "Sad for Kayla."