My 4 yr old just looked at me with his big brown eyes and with an innocent earnestness stated,

“I a good boy.”

I hugged him, and told him to always remember that.

And with my heart breaking, knowing that at some point.

Someone will tell him otherwise.

My baby will grow. A child into a man.

And somewhere along the way, the beautiful brown skin and soft curls which now earn him smiles will stop being “cute”.

People will begin to mistrust him, fear him, treat him as lesser than.

His world will be different than mine.

I pray that world will be kind to him.

I pray that world won’t hurt him.

I pray that world of tomorrow is better than today.