I used to babysit a kid who was having a really hard time with The Rules -relatable. He had a rough past and a lot of energy and ADHD. but he was slowly gaining confidence in a loving and supportive (queer) home.
We went to the aquarium and he was trying to go into an employee only door. and it's my job to redirect, so I started to, when a scientist who worked at the museum emerged.
Most grown ups, when they see a kid trying to investigate something like an employees only door, would want to keep the kid away, even be unkind and/or annoyed. Many would see this kid as "misbehaving"
but this guy was a scientist, a science educator, working in a museum. And he saw - a young scientist. A curious kid investigating and testing his environment. He saw, with appreciation and admiration, a kid brimming with curiosity about the world and determination.
And he rewarded and encouraged that curiosity.
He opened the door and gave me and the kid a personal tour of this employee-only, research facility within the aquarium. The kid got to explore and ask questions in this place most people never got to see.
That scientist taught us both something important that day. I will always remember and appreciate it, and Im sure so will that kid (who has moved to another state and seems to be thriving). I made sure to reinforce the lesson and tell the kid that what happened was special- most people don't get a personal tour behind the scenes at the aquarium, he got to do that because he was curious and exploring, just being himself.
