Dear Em,
Well, the election results are in. For the most part, they've been in for a while. For better or for worse, the leaders of our country for the next 2-4 years have been named. As the political commercials & ads come to an end (thank God), I hope that it's the the beginning of developing new ideas & working together as we continue to face big problems in our country.
Here's a little taste of how the morning of election day went at our house.
Me: "Hey, Em, do you want to vote with Mommy today?"
Em: "Sure! I want to vote!" (wrinkle of the nose, quizzical look) "Hey, Mommy, what's voting?"
Me: "Well, we go and say who we want to run the country."
Em: "Oh...well, can we vote now?"
Me: (Both of us standing in our PJs) "Well, we have to get dressed first."
(30 seconds pass)
Em: "Ok, can we vote now?" (This is pretty much repeated for the next hour it takes us to get ready.)
(Get into the car.)
Em: "Hey, Mommy, where are we going?"
Me: "We're going to vote."
Em: "Oh, are you sure we're not going in a BOAT?"
Me: (smiling) "No, we're going to vote v-v-v-vote."
(Get to the polling station. There are political signs everywhere.)
Em: (Gasp) "Oh my goodness Mommy, do you see it?! It's pink door!"
Me: (Laughing, of everything going on around us, that would be what you would notice.)
(We walk inside the polling place.)
Em: "Mommy, what are we doing here?"
Me: "We're going to vote."
(Get to the area where we cast our ballot. You peek your little head over the table to get a glimpse of a ballot.)
Em: "What's that marker?"
Me: "This is what we use to write our vote with."
Em: "But it's black. I don't like back markers."
Me: (Thinking about your perfect world, a world where we vote using pink markers.)
Em: (As I'm filling out my ballot) "So, Mommy, when are we going to vote?"
Me: (Laughing as I pick you up) "We are voting. See, when I draw this line, that's how we say who we want to vote for."
Em: (looks at me like "this is what you got me all excited about this morning?")
(Walk over to put the ballot in the reader.)
Nice Man holding "I Voted" stickers: (looks down at Em) "Hey, would you like a sticker?!
Em: (Full force death glare)
Nice Man holding "I Voted" stickers: (looking kind of scared) "Ok, I'll give your mommy two, one for her & one for you & she can give it to you if you want."
Em: (Full force death glare until we were out of eyesight from the nice man)
(I placed the "I voted" sticker on your shirt, & you proudly smiled.)
And that was your first time "voting".
I love you so,
Mommy
