Paige and Benedict

Politics

Mon Feb 25 20:35:13 EST 2008 (claire)

Dinner time is so valuable. We eat dinner as a family every night of the week. This is a time we chat about our day, share our favorite thing of the day and something we didn't like about our day. John and I do our best to talk with the kids and include them in our conversations, but sometimes, it is just adult talk.

The presidential race is a hot topic at our dinner table. One night a few weeks ago, I thought I would clue the kids into Mom and Dad's discussion on the presidential primary race. Of course, since the fun of being parents is to share our opinions, the children are excited over the prospect of a female president. (They are still "color-blind" so they don't understand the significance of a black man running for president.)

Teaching about the presidential race has opened the doors to so many topics. Paige wants to know about winning and losing, for example, tonight she asked, "What's a landslide?". We also have had the opportunity to talk about what it means to be in charge, what responsibilities the rest of us have, especially in choosing the right candidate. Tonight we spoke about Clinton losing and Obama winning and how we are sad and happy at the same time. We spoke about how to look for the best in people, how to be proud of someone for trying so hard, because you never really lose if you try your best. That is a lesson that is not over her head.