Nose for News, By Sarah Stultz

It’s hard to believe another summer has ended, and all of the children have started — or will soon be starting — another year at school.

The Albert Lea School District started classes Aug. 21, and this week the youngsters at United Preschool — including my son, Landon — will begin.

It’s always a time of mixed emotions for parents as they are excited to see their children grow and learn, but at the same time it can be a little worrisome for some as they hope and pray that all will go well for their child.

How will he or she get along with the other children?

Will he/she be able to learn what is being taught?

How will the other children influence him/her for good or bad?

As a parent of a preschooler, I don’t have many of these worries, as I have found younger children typically to be kinder and more accepting of each other. However, it is something I think about as Landon gets older and some of that innocence of young childhood seems to fade away.

There have been several instances I remember from the early school years with my daughter, Sophie. Those situations taught me that we need to be like these little children who know no boundaries with their friendships. They don’t look at the color of another child’s skin. They don’t look at if someone is tall or short or round or thin. They don’t care who the other child’s parents are, and they don’t care if another child has some kind of a disability. To them, a child is a child and another possible friend.

It was heart-warming and inspiring at the same time, and I remember to this day being inspired by seeing how well everyone got along — other than a few minor instances of not wanting to share, which can occasionally be expected from a bunch of young children.

There was no judging.

I was reminded of that again on Monday when I took Landon to United Preschool to see his new classroom and meet with his new teachers.

Within the first few minutes of being in the classroom, Landon and another classmate — who he had never met before — started playing in the kitchen. Again that heart-warming feeling returned, and I knew I could let go as a parent and let my child learn and grow a little on his own.

It was a good reminder for me to remember these experiences as I continue my own life and my own interactions with people in the community.

These little children have their priorities straight, and we could all learn from them.

A person is a person — end of story.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.