Ooftah. It’s Wednesday, November 9, 2016 and the world is waking up after what may be the craziest presidential election to date.
Maybe I’m just tired – between checking election results and my kids waking up 243414 times last night – I’m a little emotional today. I must be legitimately out of my mind because I’m typing a blogpost that involves such a hot topic, which I never ever do… I tend to keep my opinions to my self when it comes to the nitty-gritty of politics.
But it honestly affected me more than I thought it would. This was my first time voting for a presidential candidate as a mother and that was not lost on me. I paid attention. I tried to gain as much factual knowledge as I could so when it was time to vote, I made an educated choice on behalf of my children’s future. To me, the choice was clear. I took my girls with me as I cast my vote for the first woman President of the United States. I explained to Gracyn what we were doing and she exclaimed, “but I want to be president, too!” while Leighton waved at the election workers from her stroller, eating her sticker. It was a proud moment.
I didn’t vote for Clinton out of sisterhood or because she was a woman. I voted for her because, in my opinion, she was the {only} qualified candidate to actually run the country. I voted for her because she was closest thing that aligned with my beliefs and issues that were important to me and my family and because I believe in voting for someone who isn’t a fucking asshole.
It goes deeper than that, obviously, but I’m not here to discuss policies because that’s not the point of this post. Americans cast their vote and made their choice. My girl didn’t win. Instead, we are left with someone who got to the top by bullying his way through our country, hurling racist and sexist phrases along the way. How do you explain that to your kids? How do you explain that to your DAUGHTERS? That a self-admitted sexual predator who spewed nothing but hate his entire campaign will now be the leader of the free world?
I’m actually thankful my girls are too young to understand what this all means, mostly because I can’t begin to explain something I don’t understand myself. My eyes well up with tears as I think about what lies ahead for our country because there has never been a precedent for this. I understand the need for a shake-up but, really? Donald Trump was the answer? I have a very hard time believing that. Either way, I have a few years before I’ll need to have these types of discussions with the kids and hopefully, at that point, we’ll have a better grasp on what a Trump presidency looks like.
In the meantime, I am choosing to focus on how their father and I go about raising decent humans amidst the very icky feeling that is looming over me this morning.
We will continue teaching them that LOVE wins, even when it doesn’t seem like it. In the long run, LOVE is so much more powerful than hate.
We will continue teaching them that everyone deserves respect, even when you think their actions tell you otherwise and we won’t tolerate anything less.
We will continue to teach them the color of your skin or your religious beliefs or your sexual orientation does not matter. Everyone is equal and deserves the same rights and the fact that it’s 2016 and we’re still discussing some of these issues is straight up maddening.
We will teach them to advocate for others, that when they see a kid being bullied to stand up for them. To get help. To make a difference. To be kind and understanding. To use common sense and to not be hateful.
We will teach them that they are not entitled to anything, to work hard, to show up, to be accountable and to be a good friend.
We will teach them that yes, they can become President one day. They can become anything they want to be because we’ve come this far and refuse to let anything stop us. We will tell them they can have families and careers, if that’s what they want, and that they deserve to be paid the same as their male counterparts and to never settle for anything less.
We will teach them that NO ONE, despite what history is apparently and shockingly telling them, may ever grab them by the pussy. And if someone does, God help their soul, that they go running and shout it from the mountaintops so that person can be brought to justice. Their bodies are theirs alone and they do not have to live with the burden of sexual assault that so many women live with today. We will talk about what it means but that it does not define them and get them whatever help they need to overcome the stigma that comes along with being a victim.
We will continue to tell them that we love them and that we will protect them and do everything we can to help them succeed.
The world feels pretty scary right now but that won’t stop me from trying to make it a better place. I can do my part by making sure my girls grow up knowing right from wrong, become productive members of society and spread love along the way.
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
― Mother Teresa