Why Do We Always Do It That Way?
  

By Andre Barnes Jr.

 Jayden sat at the kitchen table, swinging his legs.
 He watched his mom prepare dinner, carefully cutting the ends off the ham.

“Mom,” he asked,
  “Why do you always cut the ends off the ham?”

Mom paused, knife in hand.
 “Huh… I don’t really know. That’s how Grandma always did it. Maybe you should ask her.”

Jayden visited Grandma’s house that afternoon.
 “Grandma,” he said,
 “Why do you cut the ends off the ham?”

Grandma chuckled.
 “Oh, sweetie! That’s just how my mom taught me. I’ve never really thought about it.
 You might want to ask Great-Grandma.”

So Jayden called Great-Grandma.

“Great-Grandma, why do you cut the ends off the ham?”

She laughed and said,

  “Oh! Back in my day, our oven was so small, the ham wouldn’t fit unless I cut the ends off!”

Jayden blinked.

 “But our ovens are big now… so why are we still cutting it?”

The next day at school, Jayden noticed something else.
  Every Friday, they did the same worksheet, over and over.

“Teacher,” he asked,
  “Why do we always do this worksheet every Friday?”

Teacher smiled.
  “Good question! I’ve always done it because my old teacher did it.
 Maybe you should ask them.”

Jayden tracked down the old teacher.

“Why did you start giving this worksheet every Friday?”

The teacher thought a moment.
  “Well, when I started teaching, we didn’t have computers or fun games.
 "So we used worksheets to keep everyone busy.”

Jayden frowned.
“But now we have computers and new ways to learn… so why are we still doing it the same old way?”

Later that week, Jayden overheard his cousin talking.
  “Nobody in our family goes to college,” his cousin said.
  “It’s just how it is.”

Jayden asked,
  “Why don’t we go to college?”

His cousin shrugged.
  “That’s what Uncle Mike always told me.
 Maybe ask him.”

 Jayden asked Uncle Mike,
  “Why don’t we go to college in our family?”

Uncle Mike scratched his head.
  “Well, when I was younger, college was too expensive,
  and people like us didn’t have many chances.
  So, we figured it wasn’t worth it.”

Jayden thought,
  “But now there are scholarships and programs to help.
 So why do we still believe we can’t?”

That Sunday at church, Jayden noticed something odd.
  Every week, the front row stayed empty.

“Why does no one sit in the front row?”
  he asked the deacon.

The deacon smiled.
  “That’s how it’s always been.
 Pastor knows why.”

Jayden asked Pastor.

Pastor chuckled.
“Years ago, people left the front row empty for the elders who couldn’t always attend.
 It was a way to honor them.”

Jayden looked around.

 “But now no one remembers why…
 and the row stays empty for no reason.”