Yes We Can!

Today may be one of the most important days of my mothering life so far.  I woke my kiddos up at 6:15 and told them to get dressed and come down stairs for breakfast and something important.  They knew that the something important was NOT the breakfast.  They had to already be questioning if an alien had taken over their mother's body (I used to have that nightmare as a kid) because I was cheerfully waking them up.  Some kind of hot breakfast would have sent them calling 9-1-1  and we can't have that.  

Calvin had to be carefully forewarned of what was coming.  He was our main McCain supporter and I didn't want him to have his first reaction in the public eye.  I told him that Obama had won the election for president and that McCain had given a very important speech that I wanted him to watch.  I told that even though he wanted McCain to win, there were reasons to be proud to be an American Citizen and that we would talk more downstairs. I told him that McCain had good advice for him.  Nurturing comes with a 2-3 minute time limit here so that was that.  And I told him to get his tail downstairs before I lost the crowd.

I then gave my kids my own emotional response to what they were witnessing in history today.  I reminded them of my grandfather who had to go to the "reservation school" because he was Native American.  How he hid my Native American roots from me for most of my life so that my opportunities wouldn't be restricted.  How he was a patriot who gave his all at Pearl Harbor and helped save lives valiantly because he was an American.  I told them the story of Teddy Roosevelt inviting Booker T. Washington to the White House since I knew that part of McCain's speech wasn't yet available online (or I couldn't find it).  Then, I had them watch the part of McCain's speech that I could find on CNN and then all of Obama's speech.  I couldn't hide my emotions on the subject.  

Mostly, I want these kids to care and work for this country.  Care to solve problems, care to educate themselves, care to sacrifice and work for their ideals.  I showed them evidences of John McCain's caring and gave examples of others who have cared enough to make a difference in creating a better place to live.  And we are the beneficiaries of that caring.  I highlighted the part of Obama's speech where he talked about America's greatness being not because of her wealth and military strength but because of her ideals and her dedication to liberty, democracy, etc.  I let the drama of campaign speeches wash over my kids not because I necessarily think Obama will do a great job; that's a follow up lesson for later.  But because I wanted them to fuly feel the emotional impact of possibilities and E PLURIBUS UNIM in this country.

Poor Zachary almost missed the middle school bus.  But his eyes were gleaming.  

I don't care what your politics are, as US citizens and especially as parents I feel like this is a day that HAS to be emphasized for good.  Healing on the issue of race may be a precedent for less bigotry based on religion which my children and I experience either directly or indirectly as we live our lives Mormon.  I weep thinking about Jesse Jackson's face during the speech, about Martin Luther King, about Rosa Parks and the people I saw in South Africa as I worked in Alexandra Township.  

Do I know if Obama can change anything as president, as the realities of steering an enormous bureaucracy hit and the campaign rhetoric fades... as the weight and responsibility of "two wars" and "economic crisis" sink in... as the price tag for all of his great educational, medical, and social promises rings at the register... well YES... in my house he already has.