Elections Through a Four Year Old's Eyes
It has been an interesting election cycle in our house...and I'm sure you can all agree with me on this one. Elections always spark some good natured (and sometimes heated) debates in our house. My middle(ish) husband married a left swinging gal and every four years these fun conversations happen. I'm sure you can all remember that time Bill Clinton held Mason at an Obama rally when he was three months old...James snapping pictures while I died inside. I can remember James was so
reluctant to go to that rally with me, so reluctant to take our baby - but in the end that sweet man bundled everyone up and drove us there, waited in line with us and snapped that now infamous picture. He doesn't always agree with me, but I will forever cherish that he's always willing to be there for me. 2016 and it's candidates brought a new set of questions in our hearts. We have a four year old, we're contemplating adding to our family and so we had to really think about the world we want to raise our children in and what kind of President would best lead us in that direction. Babies change the way you think, they change the way you feel and they change the way you sometimes vote. But four year olds? Four year olds will bring to your knees.
Mason has been so into this election in a way that I NEVER expected. He wanted to watch the candidates when they accepted their nominations and he listened to those speeches, and goodness did he pay attention. Then he started asking questions, and I mean really, really good questions. He made me dig deep to answer truthfully, unbiased and in a way that his little heart would understand. What is a president? What makes a good leader? I started to explain that good leaders are strong, courageous and above all they're GOOD and they help people. He would hear quotes from a nominee and come back and ask me "That wasn't kind, why isn't he helping people?" and sometimes I didn't have great answers. But it gave us the opportunity to teach him about our presidential elections, why they happen, why Daddy wears the uniform he does and what rights we have in the US, how elections work and he soaked it all up. He loves talking about presidents, learning about our past leaders and last night he asked to go to Washington DC to see the White House.
We took him with us to vote yesterday and he was so happy. He filled in a sample ballot, told me who he was voting for (and maybe everyone else in the building) and he skipped out with his I Voted sticker. James was in his uniform and when we got in the car I felt so proud. I felt proud to be an American, proud to be a woman, proud to be a military family and proud my little son had such a sparked interest in our world. I will admit that I'm not a history buff, but I have absolutely loved seeing this through his eyes.
What I didn't love was seeing it through his eyes this morning. Mason crawled into my bed this morning at 6:30am and while rubbing his eyes he said "Did Hillary win?" and as he crawled under the blankets I said no, buddy she didn't. Donald Trump is our new president. That sweet soul's little bottom lip trembled and he asked "Why, Mommy?" YOU GUYS. I cried with my four year old this morning. I cried a lot of tears, he did too and it was one of the hardest parenting moments I have experienced in the most unexpected circumstances. I told him that whoever was President didn't affect how we treated people, that everything was going to be okay. That as long as we stayed humble and kind, we could make a difference. Then I got up and showered and went about my day with the sweet soul behind me asking more questions. What a day...
If you're like us, you're in a little bit of a daze this morning. This isn't about politics for me. I have lots of friends and family who have different beliefs than I do and I respect them and their thoughts and opinions. This is about how we treat people. James and I have always said the biggest thing we want to instill in our children is kindness and respect for other people, so that's what we'll keep doing. We'll keep praying, loving Jesus and our neighbors and we'll keep raising our babies to be kind and respectful. We won't give in to the fear and we'll make sure sweet Mason knows that we'll all be okay. I'm still so proud to be an American, I'm so proud to be a military family and I'm proud of the family James and I are building.
I'll leave you with lyrics we sang on the way to school this morning because I needed it more than my sweet four year old did, but he asked for it and let's be serious, it was Tim McGraw so I obliged.
Don't expect a free ride from no one
Don't hold a grudge or a chip and here's why:
Bitterness keeps you from flyin'
Always stay humble and kind
Hold the door, say "please", say "thank you"
Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie
I know you got mountains to climb
But always stay humble and kind
When the dreams you're dreamin' come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride
But always stay humble and kind
With lots of love today and always,
Julie and Mason
Mason has been so into this election in a way that I NEVER expected. He wanted to watch the candidates when they accepted their nominations and he listened to those speeches, and goodness did he pay attention. Then he started asking questions, and I mean really, really good questions. He made me dig deep to answer truthfully, unbiased and in a way that his little heart would understand. What is a president? What makes a good leader? I started to explain that good leaders are strong, courageous and above all they're GOOD and they help people. He would hear quotes from a nominee and come back and ask me "That wasn't kind, why isn't he helping people?" and sometimes I didn't have great answers. But it gave us the opportunity to teach him about our presidential elections, why they happen, why Daddy wears the uniform he does and what rights we have in the US, how elections work and he soaked it all up. He loves talking about presidents, learning about our past leaders and last night he asked to go to Washington DC to see the White House.
We took him with us to vote yesterday and he was so happy. He filled in a sample ballot, told me who he was voting for (and maybe everyone else in the building) and he skipped out with his I Voted sticker. James was in his uniform and when we got in the car I felt so proud. I felt proud to be an American, proud to be a woman, proud to be a military family and proud my little son had such a sparked interest in our world. I will admit that I'm not a history buff, but I have absolutely loved seeing this through his eyes.What I didn't love was seeing it through his eyes this morning. Mason crawled into my bed this morning at 6:30am and while rubbing his eyes he said "Did Hillary win?" and as he crawled under the blankets I said no, buddy she didn't. Donald Trump is our new president. That sweet soul's little bottom lip trembled and he asked "Why, Mommy?" YOU GUYS. I cried with my four year old this morning. I cried a lot of tears, he did too and it was one of the hardest parenting moments I have experienced in the most unexpected circumstances. I told him that whoever was President didn't affect how we treated people, that everything was going to be okay. That as long as we stayed humble and kind, we could make a difference. Then I got up and showered and went about my day with the sweet soul behind me asking more questions. What a day...
If you're like us, you're in a little bit of a daze this morning. This isn't about politics for me. I have lots of friends and family who have different beliefs than I do and I respect them and their thoughts and opinions. This is about how we treat people. James and I have always said the biggest thing we want to instill in our children is kindness and respect for other people, so that's what we'll keep doing. We'll keep praying, loving Jesus and our neighbors and we'll keep raising our babies to be kind and respectful. We won't give in to the fear and we'll make sure sweet Mason knows that we'll all be okay. I'm still so proud to be an American, I'm so proud to be a military family and I'm proud of the family James and I are building. I'll leave you with lyrics we sang on the way to school this morning because I needed it more than my sweet four year old did, but he asked for it and let's be serious, it was Tim McGraw so I obliged.
Don't expect a free ride from no one
Don't hold a grudge or a chip and here's why:
Bitterness keeps you from flyin'
Always stay humble and kind
Hold the door, say "please", say "thank you"
Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie
I know you got mountains to climb
But always stay humble and kind
When the dreams you're dreamin' come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride
But always stay humble and kind
With lots of love today and always,
Julie and Mason
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