2008
we wait for our plans to come true
maura @ 9:59 pm
So, you know, I wasn’t going to blag about the election. I’ve been ignoring the whole shebang for the past couple of months, partly because I’ve known my voting choice forever (duh), and partly because just thinking about the election even a tiny bit has threatened to send me into spasms of paralyzing anxiety. I much preferred to rock it ostrich-style, head in the sand.*
* Did you know that’s a myth? Now you do! (And so do I.)
But last night, as I was snuggling with Gus at bedtime, he started chatting me up. Of course I knew it was just a ploy to avoid sleep a bit longer, but he was so charming that I fell for it. I spent a few minutes answering the repeated + rephrased question, “why can’t kids vote?” (the one that finally seemed to sink in was, “elections are complicated, and the issues can be hard for kids to understand”). Then he busted out with: “will Obama make things fair?”
I have to admit that I teared up a bit at that one. Not the least because we haven’t really talked about the election with him much at all. But living where we live, in this community of neighbors, friends, schools, the city, the kid gets it. It’s all around him, that things are unfair and should be more fair. And it made me so incredibly grateful to live here, to be raising Gus in this place where there are all kinds of people working hard to make things more fair.
I wasn’t weepy for long, though, because then he said: “I wish Obama would make a law that parents have to sleep with their kids all night.” Which was completely hilarious.
—
I couldn’t get it together to vote before work today (why is it always harder to get ready on days when Gus has no school?) so I left a bit early and went afterwards. It was a beautiful day, cloudy but warm, and walking through our neighborhood I ran into the parent coordinator for Gus’s school. All of which brought back those warm fuzzies about Brooklyn (yo).
I was prepared for heinous lines and was pleasantly surprised to walk right in and vote after waiting only a few minutes. I was also surprised to feel so moved by the whole experience. I actually stared at the little lever for a few minutes before flipping it down to vote (and nearly took a picture). To stand there in the voting booth and finally, finally be able to vote for a person of color for president was just amazing. I’ve always enjoyed the visceral thrill of pulling that big red lever back over to record the vote, but today it was incredible.
PLUS, the post-voting election day bake sale at our local school/polling place had oatmeal scotchie bars. Of course I could not resist! It was warm + sweet, and I scarfed it down on my 4 block walk home. And dared to break my prohibition on election thoughts and let a little hope, just a little, sneak in.
3 comments on “we wait for our plans to come true”
[…] I emailed some friends about Gus’s hope for Obama’s presidency (11/4’s post), only to discover that their kids think that Obama will abolish homework. Foolish […]
Obama has kids, so I am afraid Gus will have to wait for some non-parent sucker (or possibly a grandparent) to hold the executive office to make his dream come true!
I hollered at Max tonight because he was busy getting tape for a poster right in my face after I said “OK, put your spelling book away and get in bed!” I said, “No, you’re not making a poster!” He has Spanish in the a.m. and has to be at school by 8. Then I said “FINE, tuck yourself in!” Wow am I a mean PMS mom.
So later I put a little cardboard “YES WE DID!!!” Obama that I made him next to his bed. There was the poster in front of his door, the cardboard backing from the big circular Obama poster I brought him after the Sen. Boxer event I went to: “Obama for President! Biden for Vice President!” No word on Snoopy, who was giving Obama a run for his money according to school polls.
I was going to wake him up and tell him but we decided it would be a good way to get him psyched up in the morning.
I think we can credit A.’s partisan behavior in the polling place.