I've been very proud of the way my children have been aware of the political season. They knew who the democratic nominees were, and they knew who ran for president. They knew who was running for Congress in our district and could recognize him when he showed up on my facebook page.
I realize now that, in an effort to help them understand the election process, we may have simplified things too much. Brian's elementary school had a presidential mock election in October. The 8th graders went to each class and talked about the candidates, then a few days later the school voted. When I asked Brian who he voted for, he told me Barack Obama. "Why did you choose him?" I asked. "Because he's the good guy. He's a...democrat. And McCain, he's a republican, and they're bad guys." Oh. Okay, so I might have said that, but, uh, let's talk a little more about what that really means...
And just this morning, Maggie and I were saying our goodbyes and doing the Obama "bump", a new variation on our old high five. I asked her if she was Michelle or Barack. She said, "Michelle" and I said, "Good, because I want to be Barack. He's the president." Maggie's response? "Mommy, you can't be president! You're a girl!" Seriously?! Whose child are you??
