From Friday Mom – Erin:
Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, what your beliefs are, and what you believe the fundamental purpose of government ought to be, I have a theory regarding how each and every one of those beliefs shifts to some degree when you become a parent. You stop thinking about how your choices in the polling booth will impact you, individually, and pivot to wondering how those choices will impact your children and your children’s children.
Having spent the last two weeks with my eyes glued to both parties’ national conventions, weighing our options, and listening to the inspiring words of the first lady discussing the promise this country holds for our children, I have found myself wondering how exactly I will handle explaining the concept of democracy to our children from an educational perspective. As one who has an admittedly nerdy affinity for our founding fathers and a love of the American experiment that would rival that of Alexis de Tocqueville, I take for granted that my children will simply have to adore and admire our republican democracy in the same manner that I do.
Teaching children the privilege of having a voice, of having opportunity, of living in a country where one’s potential is limited only by the breadth of our dreams and our willingness to put strong foundations under them is, to me, a parent’s greatest civic duty. As this election cycle pushes into high gear and the political noise increases from a steady din to an overwhelming roar, I find myself wondering how, precisely, to introduce these concepts to the two young minds fast asleep upstairs as I craft this post.
Rory and Charlotte are still too young to understand it. And, frankly, there are parts of the partisan rancor of late that I would prefer that they never have to see. But, by the same token, as they grow up, I look forward to sharing with them my love of country and service. I hope to not only teach them, but show them, the importance of giving back to our communities. I hope to raise children who recognize the value of asking not “what’s in it for me,” but, instead, “how can I help.” And I hope to be able to teach them by not only words, but by example.
This election cycle, I’ll take a slightly more subtle tack and start by vowing to teach them, slowly and incrementally, the importance of compromise, the strength of collective action in sight of a common goal, and the great privilege of the very freedoms that make this nation so great. To show them the importance of giving back in your community, of serving others, and striving– whatever the context– to leave every place you reside a little bit better than it was when you arrived.
