Your Kids and the Election

Little J was excited to go "vote" with me. The poll workers were cool, they gave him an "I voted" sticker for coming with me and he proudly wore it the rest of the day. Big J was hyper and weird. It's not his first election, but the first presidential one for him. He spouted off a lot of the night. There was a lot on the ballot he didn't really get into, but a few things he cared very much about.

i took Ayden in the booth with me allowed heim to pull the lever and turn the knobs then reverse the lever and the whole time he kept saying Obama Obama open the door for me please. I didn't realize he payed attention to me when I kept saying even if Obama doesn't accomplish all he said he would/could he will open so many doors for my sons. I cried when we were done

My 10 year old son knows exactly how many electoral votes California and Alaska and Ohio and many other states have. Aside from him being a black child in America, with a black President to look up to, he's learned so very much in this election. And that, in and of itself, is making me very, very proud!!!

FYI - Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American on the Supreme Court. But point taken.

I posted this in another thread today, but I bawled my eyes out during Obama's speech. My DD had fallen asleep before I got home from a business trip to NY and I was bummed not to see her. Right before his speech, she woke up and DH and I went into bed with her and watched the speech. DH was verklempt. I said, "Anything is possible, baby." DH said, "Are you proud of Barack Obama?" She said, "No...um, wait..is he coming to my birthday party?" haha. I am sooooo thrilled to have this happen for DD's first presidential election!! (Oh and today, DH said, "Are you excited that Obama won for president" and she said, "Yeah! He's gonna bring us cupcakes!" I love it!!)

OK, excuse me if this gets long but I cried (tears of elation, joy and happiness) all yesterday afternoon and evening and again reading the posts in this thread :) My bio son has been very politically aware since he was very small. In first grade I remember his teacher telling me that M came into the classroom talking about our current mayoral election and how the popular candidate was so bad and "she wanted to send all the brown people to die in the war" :) His teacher said that M seemed to know more about politics than she did! (OK, that is kinda sad! LOL) I have taken him with me to vote every time since he was born and we talk about it a lot in my home; how important it is, how it is our right, how far this country has come, etc. Every time before 2008 every person we have voted for has lost. When my other two kiddos came to me as fosters they had very little understanding of the process and we have talked a lot about it (and thank goodness for the school system -at least in our state- they are doing a great job of talking about it and participating -Kids Vote- that both my middle school boys and my elementary school daughter really have a good grasp and interest in the whole thing) and they have come with me to vote as well. I am especially interested in my oldest AS, getting him aware as he will be looked at as a black man by most people and this is the time to be aware and involved! I made my sons both sit and watch Obama's acceptance speech when he won the nomination, trying to impress upon them how very important adn historical this was. I think they got most of it, but they are 12 :) But yesterday they really began to get it, especially M. I know I will always remember and I believe that my son will too, where I was when I stood in my living room, waiting for CNN's "big projection announcement" (thinking it was going to be that they would announce their projection for who took Florida) and seeing them flash on to the screen that their projection was that Barack Obama was the winner of the presidential race. I yelled for my dad who was cooking dinner with my son in the kitchen and they ran in to see and tears just started coming and my dad hugged me and then my son joined in :) As a boy with a black father and white mother, born in Hawai'i on the same day as our new president, M has always felt a little bit of a bond with Obama and he is SO proud now! He kept saying all last night: "It just hasn't sunk in that Obama is the PRESIDENT!" :woohoo: He worries about Obama's safety now and I worry about how much pressure there is on this man -from the whole world. We have friends in Germany, in Malaysia, in Australia, etc., who have been watching this race so closely. The whole world watches. Here is an incredible opportunity for us to show them how truly great this country can be.

My son asked me to type this for him just now. He had to write one paragraph about what he would do as President. I can't stop laughing!!! [FONT=Times New Roman]If I were President of the United States of America, without my pills, this country would be a disaster and out of order. I have a strong case of ADD. Also, I am a sporty kind of a guy, which would not be right for the job. In conclusion, you would be in for a crazy 4 years.[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT]

haha, love it Josie! That's adorable :love: I like that he's a "sporty kind of guy"!!! So cute! So great hearing how you all shared yesterday with your kids - and even better - how you CONTINUE to share this whole experiences with them!!!

Your right... pretty bad for someone with a degree in this, too. Sheepish grin. :p

My single mom daughter went to bed crying at 10:30 last night with PA, OH, VA, and IN undecided. She said that she was doomed to poverty by the GOP. When PA flipped to blue I went upstairs and whispered into her ear "I think we just won."This morning I picked up my 3 yo grandson to kiss him goodbye and told him that we had a new president. He perked up and with bright eyes asked, "Where in my new present, Grandma?" My daughter and I locked teary eyes with new hopes for their future.Happy G'Ma

[FONT=Times New Roman]If I were President of the United States of America, without my pills, this country would be a disaster and out of order. I have a strong case of ADD. Also, I am a sporty kind of a guy, which would not be right for the job. In conclusion, you would be in for a crazy 4 years.[/FONT] This is too hilarious Josie! Out of the mouth of babes.

I wanted to share a quick story about my big girl this morning. We were getting ready for work/school and the news was on. CBS ran a story about a woman they interviewed at the Dem Nat Conv in Denver then had cameras at her house on Tuesday night. This woman became very emotional when talking about her 72 year old father. He has Alzheimer's and doesn't know what's going on and she knows that he would be elated with Barack. I started crying (yes, it's been two days and I'm still cryilng) and E asked me why I was crying. I told her this was very important and it was history and she was part of it. Through my tears I told her she could be anything she wanted when she grows up, she can even be president. She immediately started crying and I asked her why she was crying, she told me with tears streaming down her face, "I don't want to be president!" Poor thing, I've put her future on her shoulders right now and she's only five! I told her she didn't have to be president but she could be anything she wanted to be and gave her a hug and said let's let it go for now. Bless her heart. I love that kid!

I feel the same about my grandmother. She kinda out of it and I know if her mind was right she would have LOVED this. She grew up in the south as a young girl. My heart breaks that she doesn't understand.

Helayne - I'm with your daughter - I wouldn't want to be President either. Smart kid!!!

Supa, so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Perhaps God has a way of letting her know. I'm sure this would thrill her to no end to know how things have changed. Josie, yes, aren't children wise beyond their years?