I think I'm dreaming. Last night I finally fell asleep around midnight and this morning I woke up at 530am. I couldn't fall back asleep. As soon as I was awake enough to read the clock my brain started in, "Did Obama really win?? What if the polls changed over night? Oh my G-d we actually elected him! Did we???". So I had to get up and check the polls again. And he still won. And I still feel like I'm in a dream.
The first presidential election I remember was the Carter/Regan race of 1980. I was 4 years old and remember being at school the next morning feeling sad. I didn't really know who Regan was, but I knew that my parents had voted for Carter and were disappointed and upset that Regan had been elected.
Zion is 4 1/2. Will he remember this election? Time will tell of course, but I think he will. We took both kids to vote yesterday, as we always do, and Zion asked questions about Obama and the presidential race. This morning when he woke up I told him that Obama had won and he came and sat on my lap an we talked about what that meant. I told him that our new president wouldn't take office until the beginning of the year, and that he would have a lot of work to do because our country wasn't in a very good place right now.
"What kind of things aren't good right now?", Zion asked. So I told him about the economy and the wars and the health care problems. He listened quietly and then said, "Yes. And the old president was not so good. He did not protect endangered animals".
So, I think he will remember. I hope he will remember. And if he does, I'm oh-so-glad that his first election memory will be more positive than mine! Either way I'm loving his interest in and engagement with our political process.
Today I am tired, but glowing.
6 comments:
great post jovi.
i am kicking myself for not taking (at least) Buggy girl with me to vote. she was SO very interested!
ian voted at school. owen and jule did too, but not quite as big of a deal as they set up for the jr. high. i am scared, but each day will tell what is going to happen. all i know is the economy here cannot get worse. the boat companies are suffering badly as is construction which our town is solely built around. i am just scared, but waiting.
and i'm relieved!
and do you know what else is truly amazing? the whole world is happy for this win. africa has black presidents, argentina has a female president (among others... just examples here) but it has taken this country, the land of the free and of the willing and of the brave, until the 21st century to move beyond the imagery of the constitutional brotherhood. thank you God. that's what i have said every night until Obama and i will say every night hence... with honesty comes freedom and willingness and bravery. may the better entity win... not the white one. yay!
oh, and i just read your comment on my blog and TOTALLY!... i would love to borrow the stole.
oh yeah, and i love reading about kids learning how to vote. props to both jovi and becka on that one.
Jovi, I tagged you. :D
Isn't it amazing that Obama is the president Elect?
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