A Conversation with a Nine-Year-Old

Today, a little girl proudly showed me a poster she made that said Every Child Matters.

It was colorful, thoughtful, and clearly made with so much care.

I told her how meaningful it was and shared that my grandmother and aunt had attended residential schools.

She looked at me quietly and asked,

“Did they die there?”

Such a heavy question from such a small voice.

I gently explained that they survived, but carried the trauma with them for the rest of their lives.

She then shared that her grandparents had also gone to residential schools.

For a moment, we sat there together — two generations holding pieces of the same history.

And what stayed with me most was this:

Children are asking questions.

They want to understand the truth.

They want to learn.

They want to do better.

Maybe healing begins exactly like this —

one honest conversation at a time.

And in moments like this, sitting beside a child who wants to understand…

I’m reminded why those words matter so deeply.

Every child matters.