Dear Friends,
I came home from work yesterday to this.
My dog dyed rainbow.
Given the SCOTUS ruling yesterday that made same-sex marriage legal nationwide, I thought my kids might be celebrating. You know, being timely! And up to date on current events! I don’t know how I thought they would’ve picked up that news from playing Minecraft all day, but a mama can hope her babies pay attention to Supreme Court decisions while she’s at work, can’t she? Then it occurred to me that the last time the kids dyed the dog, it was to paint flames down his sides, and I didn’t assume they were celebrating arson. So I asked them why they did it. Why did they paint the dog to look like a rainbow? Other than the obvious, of course; that they had a) paint and b) a dog.
So we sat outside late at night as the heat faded and so did the sun, and we talked about rainbows. Rainbows and color. Rainbows and God. Rainbows and people. Rainbows and life and how we approach each other with compassion and kindness. And this morning, Cai, one of our 8-year-olds, sat down to write you this essay. Cai’s last essay here was co-written with his twin brother. It was about Penis Tendons. Because I told them, if they wanted to guest post on this blog, they must choose an important topic, spell words correctly, pay attention to sentence craft and structure, have a POINT and a conclusion, and it had to be about be about something that will improve the lives of others. So, Penis Tendons, obviously. Since then, they’ve tossed around the idea of guest posting again, but the writing muse eluded them. Until now.
And so, because Cai asked, and because Cai has important and wise things to say, I give you Cai’s Essay on The Importance and Meaning of Rainbows.
With love,
.
.
.
The Importance and Meaning of Rainbows
by Cai Woolsey, age 8
Yesterday my brother Cael and me dyed Chip’s hair rainbow. Chip is our dog. He is friendly and nice but not always. He is white with curly hair. He is 9 years old and he barks for five minutes at a stranger but after that he cools down.
Our friend Kasey helped dye Chip’s ears and the top of his head red, and we used her hair dye.
We painted the dog because I thought it would be a good surprise on my parents, and I thought it would be a good look on Chip. We think it is.
Other kids should and shouldn’t dye their dogs. You shouldn’t dye your dog because if your dog doesn’t have white hair it wouldn’t look so good, but if your dog does have white hair it would look great, so then you should.
Let’s talk about the importance of rainbows. I dyed my dog rainbow because I like rainbows. They are full of beautiful colors that are all different.
In the Bible, the rainbow symbolizes new life. Do you remember the story of Noah’s Ark? The story of Noah’s Ark is about Noah and his family building a huge wooden boat, and God tells Noah to gather two of each animal and put it in the boat. His family gets on the boat with him and there is a huge flood that floods the whole earth. After the flood there is a rainbow and the rainbow is a symbol of new life and promise that God would never flood the earth again.
In America, rainbows symbolize that a boy and a boy can get married and a girl and a girl can get married if they want to. I think that it’s a good idea because if a girl and a girl or a boy and a boy are in love that they should be allowed to get married.
Rainbows are the most cool in science because you get to see that light is made up of the colors of the rainbow. All of the colors are very different and beautiful, and the rainbow is the most beautiful of all because it is all the colors together. It is just like God shining through us. We are all different and beautiful, and we’re even more beautiful all together.
I think rainbows remind us of the Fruit of the Spirit which is in the Bible, too. Those are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.
Some people say rainbows are a girl thing. They are wrong because PEOPLE CAN LIKE ANYTHING NO MATTER WHAT.
This story is important because I hope that people will think differently about rainbows. Rainbows are for all people. They are about love and light and God and new life. You should never misjudge a rainbow; it’s like never judge a book by its cover. What you find inside is most important.
……….
Cai Woolsey is 8 years old.
When he grows up, he wants to be a doctor because he likes being around people, talking to them, and helping them.
Cai likes to type essays while sporting pink and blue nail polish and wearing his shirt backwards on purpose. At age 6, he coined the phrase, “All the colors are for all the people,” a slogan he lives by today.
21 responses to “The Importance and Meaning of Rainbows: An Essay by an 8-Year-Old Boy”
What an amazing little boy you are raising. So thoughtful and reflective. Love this.
Keep up the good work!
Hey Beth, Congrats for Cai’s achievement. The wisdom you have inculcated in him is totally adorable. Do share more of his work.
Well said and well written, Cai!
Cai,
I have nine year old twins,and I loved your essay! It was beautifully written. I especially loved the part where you said “People can like anything no matter what”. I also love your slogan “All the colors are for all the people,” My son’s favorite color is pink!
[…] The Importance and Meaning of Rainbows: An Essay by an 8-Year-Old Boy at Five Kids Is A Lot Of Kids – “Rainbows are the most cool in science because you get to see that light is made up of the colors of the rainbow. All of the colors are very different and beautiful, and the rainbow is the most beautiful of all because it is all the colors together. It is just like God shining through us. We are all different and beautiful, and we’re even more beautiful all together.” […]
From the mouths of babes! 🙂 I love your site, Beth! It is the only one I subscribe to with my work email (shhhh! don’t tell!), so I don’t miss a post. Thanks for the middle-of-the day laughs and inspirations, and for your honesty and humor.
Thank you Cai (and Beth) for a beautiful post.
It has been a very exciting week for me as a woman who loves another woman. After 5 years, we are now married in Ohio where we live. We love that our love is now recognized.
But it has also been sad. Because a few family members and people I know and people I don’t know have reacted negatively to my marriage – my personal rainbow. Today, their negativity really got me down. Especially the negativity of people who love Jesus, because I love Jesus too and believe that Jesus loves me.
Then someone told me about your mom’s blog and it has been a wonderful discovery! You are both such great writers and have blessed my spirit with your words. Please keep writing, the world needs more awesome from you.
P.S. I’m now going to read your essay on Penis Tendons. I will probably share it with my 11yo son. I’m sure that we will both admire your work.
Wow Cai!! That was a wonderful essay! I agree with yoy, PEOPLE CAN LIKE ANYTHING NO MATTER WHAT. You are a very smart young man. I look forward to more essays from you. P.S. Chip looks awesome, you were right!
What an intelligent young man. Very well said. <3
“Rainbows are the most cool in science because you get to see that light is made up of the colors of the rainbow. All of the colors are very different and beautiful, and the rainbow is the most beautiful of all because it is all the colors together. It is just like God shining through us. We are all different and beautiful, and we’re even more beautiful all together.”
This just might be my favorite paragraph.
Stunningly beautiful, and accurate. Thoughtful and well written. Most adults don’t write their thoughts that well.
What a great essay. Thank you for sharing your insights and the great picture of your dog!
Well said Cai, thanks for sharing your essay with everyone. You are a very intelligent young man.
I didn’t think anyone could ever outdo Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion, but here it is, just a day later. The most important thing I’ve read all year, by an 8-year-old.
Cai, you are a wise young man. I hope you will always be able to see the rainbows inside people.
Cai, you made my day! I am a teacher and you are the kind of kid I would love to have in my class. You see the world as we all should and you have the power to change the thinking of children and adults. Keep up the good job! Ps, I love the pattern of your nail polish, and the dog looks awesome.
Brilliant! Cai has changed the way I will look at rainbows from now on.
Love this, Cai! Thank you for sharing such wonderful thoughts. I’m very encouraged by your perspective.
Thank you for this.
Oh Cai, you are one wise and well spoken(written) kid. I think we learn more interesting things about each other when we find out what others like. You are also incredibly creative. I’m not sure I would have thought about dying a dog but why not? It’s just hair and it looks like so much fun! Now I wish I had a dog. Do you think somene should get a dog so they could dye his hair? You seem to be full of good advice.
Love this picture too. You seem to be working very hard. Well done and keep writing!
Heather (who loves rainbows and people but doesn’t have a dog)
Perfectly said!