Election Day

My husband and I tend to be rather moderate in our political views, and quite private about our opinions, which are probably getting a bit more set as we get older, but are still tempered with quite a bit of perspective and ability to see both sides of most issues.  Regardless, we don’t talk often about politics, and we avoid situations with people who get quite riled up.  We rarely express our views to friends or other people, and we haven’t really ever had any political discussions with our kidlets.

We have talked to them about how elections work and why the multitude of political signs saturates the city each November.  This year they were particularly aware of the signs regarding some very controversial amendments, and we talked a little about that.  (To be certain, though, I was much more passionate about last year’s issue of funding the library than those controversial ammendments.  I did feel VERY passionate about keeping the library open.)  Of course, they also knew that we were electing a president.

On Election Day morning, Mr. SP was the first to arrive at the breakfast table.  While he was eating his toast with peanut butter and jam, I remembered that at his school kids get to vote in their own election for president.  I asked him, “Who are you voting for in the election at school today?”

“Mitt Romney.”  He declared with conviction.

“Oh!  Well, tell me about why you like him as a candidate?”  (The truth of the matter is that I remain rather undecided about who I am voting for until the last minute, and I really thought his opinion might be interesting.)

“I don’t really care to discuss,”  my son looked over at me and then went back to chewing his toast.  OK then.  Someone feels similar to his parents about political discussions.

Next, The Banana came dancing to the breakfast table.  She somehow missed the fact that there was going to be an election and what it was for, so I took some time to explain how she would get to vote at school and how there were two people who wanted the job of being president and all the people in the country would get to vote to decide who would have the job.

She looked distressed.  Then she almost started crying into her toast.  Finally she sniffled and said, “Well, I just can’t decide!  I want the guy who has the job to keep the job, but I want the other guy to have a chance at doing the job, and I don’t want anyone to feel sad.”

I gave her a hug.  She was so distressed that I spent some time explaining about the American Right to Abstain.  I’ve used it myself, and I figured that if someone is so distressed, this was probably as good of time as any to use it.  I taught her to pronounce the word “abstain”  and what it meant, and told her she could say “I abstain” loudly with confidence because it was her American right to do so.  She went off to school with a plan.

YaYa straggled in to the breakfast table last.  I asked her how she was voting and she threw her hands up in despair and said, “I don’t KNOW!  I haven’t decided!  And I’m so tired of people getting all screamy about voting!  WE don’t get screamy about voting in this family, and all the other kids in my class just argue and say they are going to die if the person their parents vote for doesn’t win the election and I’m just tired of it all!”  Well, then.  I thought she had quite a bit of perspective about politics for a ten year old.  It is often nicer just to keep your opinion to yourself, isn’t it?  I love that I have created not one but two indecisive voters.  She added, “I just don’t know.  I think I might like Obama, but Grandma Kathy HATES him.”

“Well,” said Dr. Peds arriving at the table, “Her dad, Grandpa McGinty LOVED Obama!”

“And Great Grandma Jan,” I added “Is very much a loud fan of Obama.  You can pick whoever you like best.  Don’t worry about it.”

Fast forward to after school.  The kidlets hopped off the bus, and when they tromped in the door, I asked them in my most cheery enthusiastic mommy voice, “Well!  How did the election go at school?”

“Obama won, ” grouched Mr. SP.

“Did you abstain?”  I asked my sweet Banana, and my people pleasing third child who cares so much about everyone else’s opinions and feelings said, “No, I didn’t.  I wanted to make my friends happy so I just picked Obama,” she said with a very sad, sad face.  “When we were practicing voting on the smart board I accidentally picked Romney, and then my friends told me I made a very, very bad choice, so when we really voted I picked Obama so they’d be happier.”  She told me this with conflicted eyes that told me she was still distressed.

Dr. Peds and I voted for real.  I voted one way for president and the other way for the House Representative and still another way for Senate, figuring that ought to sufficiently ensure that nothing would actually be accomplished this political term.  Besides, I’m pretty sure Dr. Peds voted the exact opposite of me and we canceled each other out, which made us both giggle.

We both had fun remembering Grandma McGinty, who was a quiet and wise woman married to a staunch and vocal democrat who really got riled up about politics.  Grandma Kathy once  ask her who she voted for, and she’d looked over and said, “What happens between that curtain is between me and God.”