One of the eight words that my two year-old twin son can say clearly is “Obama.” That he can say the name of the President is a great source of pride for my husband and I even though it would probably be far more useful for him to be able to say, “hungry,” “tired,” or the penultimate “potty.” His twin sister, in contrast has been speaking in full sentences since she was about 15 months old and can say his entire name, “Barack Obama,” clear as day.
My twins learned the name of our President during the many hours their mom was glued to primary and election coverage. Given that my four children will probably not understand the magnitude of what it means for a non-white president to be elected during their lifetime, I thought it a good idea to at least give them a sense of what was going on in Washington.
During the primaries and especially during the general election debates, I would sit in bed with my four children and try to have them watch the news coverage. My husband would roll his eyes as I would tease the upcoming TV coverage, “After dinner and dessert, we’re going to watch the Obama and McCain debate (if I had been more creative, I could have probably come up with a name that sounded more like a Disney Channel movie). Often, these forced sessions turned into full-scale mutiny for the channel to be changed or crying fits for my husband to take them down to the basement for rough-housing or a DVD animated movie. On the nights where the twins fell asleep early and my two older children stayed with me to watch a debate, sometimes the sessions would turn into discussions.
When Sara Palin winked at the camera and I audibly gagged, my son asked me what was wrong. I told him I didn’t think it was appropriate for a candidate to wink at the TV to get her point across, and that I believed in the power of words over the overt use of feminine wiles. When John McCain said “That guy…,” and gestured in a nearly dismissive way to Barack Obama, I pounded my fist on the bed. My daughter asked me what was wrong. I told her that it was disrespectful to not call another opponent by their name.
With the election coverage turning to the first 100 days coverage, turning to first puppy coverage, turning to how the administration is dealing with Swine flu coverage, I wonder how much of this election my children will remember. I also wonder if allowing them to hear my political point of view will taint the way that they look at the world. For better or worse, my political ideas are nothing I will hide from my children. My hope is that they stay active citizens, enjoying every freedom this country affords, including having a political point of view.
My twins learned the name of our President during the many hours their mom was glued to primary and election coverage. Given that my four children will probably not understand the magnitude of what it means for a non-white president to be elected during their lifetime, I thought it a good idea to at least give them a sense of what was going on in Washington.
During the primaries and especially during the general election debates, I would sit in bed with my four children and try to have them watch the news coverage. My husband would roll his eyes as I would tease the upcoming TV coverage, “After dinner and dessert, we’re going to watch the Obama and McCain debate (if I had been more creative, I could have probably come up with a name that sounded more like a Disney Channel movie). Often, these forced sessions turned into full-scale mutiny for the channel to be changed or crying fits for my husband to take them down to the basement for rough-housing or a DVD animated movie. On the nights where the twins fell asleep early and my two older children stayed with me to watch a debate, sometimes the sessions would turn into discussions.
When Sara Palin winked at the camera and I audibly gagged, my son asked me what was wrong. I told him I didn’t think it was appropriate for a candidate to wink at the TV to get her point across, and that I believed in the power of words over the overt use of feminine wiles. When John McCain said “That guy…,” and gestured in a nearly dismissive way to Barack Obama, I pounded my fist on the bed. My daughter asked me what was wrong. I told her that it was disrespectful to not call another opponent by their name.
With the election coverage turning to the first 100 days coverage, turning to first puppy coverage, turning to how the administration is dealing with Swine flu coverage, I wonder how much of this election my children will remember. I also wonder if allowing them to hear my political point of view will taint the way that they look at the world. For better or worse, my political ideas are nothing I will hide from my children. My hope is that they stay active citizens, enjoying every freedom this country affords, including having a political point of view.
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