2007년 2월 27일

며칠 전 "왜 어린이들은 또래 친구들이 필요한가"에 대한 글을 읽다가 그 이유가 어린왕자에 잘 설명되어 있었다는 생각이 번뜩 들었다. 그래서 책을 뒤적여 보았더니 역시 내가 표시해 놓았던 단락을 찾을수 있었다. 아이들을 키우는 부모들이라면 다시한번 이 구절을 자신들에게 되물어볼 필요가 있지 않을까?

Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: “What does his voice sound like?” “What games does he like best?” “Does he collect butterflies?” They ask: “How old is he?” “How many brothers does he have?” “How much does he weight?” “How much money does his father make?” Only then do they think they know him. If you tell grown-ups, “I saw a beautiful red brick house, with geraniums at the windows and doves on the roof…,” they won’t be able to imagine such a house. You have to tell them, “I saw a house worth a hundred thousand francs.” Then they exclaim, “What a pretty house!”

                                                                                                                     The Little Prince