This has been an interesting week in my household as I have tried to explain voting to my 6 year old. For the past year she has heard the name "Barak Obama" in our household more than once. We found it cute when she said she was going to vote for him, but never really spent much time talking about it. Well here are some things she has said in the past 2 days with all the election hype. Before I share them with you though, I want to say these are not things I taught her all things she mush have overheard on the radio or from all the adults in her life:
1. "How will McCain get to Alaska to drill all that oil?"
2. "Alicia told Lily that she is voting for McCain cause Obama kills babies?"
3. "Hannah H. is going to be so excited that Obama won, can I tell her at school today?"
4. "Why does McCain want there to be a war?"
5. (Wed morning, first words out of her mouth). "Mom, who won?" "Obama" "YES!" (visualize fist pumping in the air)
I know I promised no politics in my blog, but I am just trying to remind myself and all of you, faithful readers, that children do pay attention, and my conversations really impacted my daughter, even at 6! I had to calm her worries that past few nights about all this election stuff when she should really be worried about spelling words and light up shoes. So this is the lesson I left her with, when she was upset about war and babies being killed (Really Alicia's parents, I think that we know that Obama does NOT kill babies, what a thing to say!)
Mom: "Hanna what is your favorite color?"
Hanna: "Purple"
Mom: "What is Abby's favorite color?"
Hanna: "Pink"
Mom: "So you each vote for a different color?"
Hanna: "Yes"
Mom: "Are they both still good colors?"
Hanna: "Yes"
Mom: "So you can have a favorite, but that doesn't mean other colors are bad right?"
Hanna: "Right"
Mom: "That is the same with the election. We all have a favorite, but that doesn't make the other person bad, whoever wins will do the best they can."
Hanna: "Oh, O.k.,Can I go to Libby Lou tomorrow and buy something?"
Mom, in her head "I can not believe, I just gave you a brilliant analogy and you are thinking about shopping at a Libby Lou!"
Mom, out loud: "Good night!"
1 comment:
Sarah - That was a wonderful analogy, I wish I had your insight before the political discussion I had with my son. If only all adults realized how much kids absorb from what they hear in discussions around them. Now to only try to understand what goes on in these young minds--why is it so difficult for us when we were young once too?
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