Pondering Politics

10 months ago, our country elected Barack Obama as its President. Many people were elated, many people were worried. Last week I read an article describing the current state of our country as "polarized." Accurate, and quite frankly I believe it is healthy. One of the concerns I had when Obama was elected is that so many people from both sides of the politcal aisle wanted to see change they would go along with whatever he was doing. The beauty and blessing of being Americans is we can speak, we can give our opinions even if our opinions are not those of our elected leaders. If we sit around the dinner table and grumble about what is happening in Washington but we do not take it any further, we don't contact our representatives and make our voice heard and we don't use our vote because we didn't bother to cast one, then what place do we have to grumble!



The heated issue I have been pondering this weekend is the speech our President will be giving to students across our country tomorrow. Apparently, as a conservative, I should pull my son out of class tomorrow and not allow him to hear the President speak. That's what I have been told I should do. Instead, I did my homework. I have read lesson plans. I read the text of the speech. (Honestly, there many things written in the speech I wholeheartedly agree with.) I know the position the McKinney school district has taken and how they will handle showing the speech to its students. And.....Davis will be watching the speech. He actually came home excited because in his literal mind, when he was told the President would be speaking to students, he took it to mean at HIS school. But here's the deal...like it or not, Barack Obama IS the ELECTED President of our FREE United States of America. My 8 year old son thinks it is cool the President will be speaking to students. And I think that is cool. No matter how I feel about Obama or his politics, no matter how much I disagree with him, I will respect the office of the President and I want my son to learn that. I do not think disagreement and disrespect must go hand in hand. If Barack Obama says something that makes Davis excited about school, who am I to stand in the way of that. If tomorrow, he reaches one kid in this country and that kid decides tomorrow he will not quit, because of encouragement he felt from the President, then I believe it is worth it.



But more than that, I want my son to be a thinker. I want him to hear something and think and evaluate for himself, to do his homework, not take someone else's word for it...to ask himself how does this fit into what I believe, what I have been taught. Maybe I am asking for trouble because the day will (and has come) where he will question me. I believe this is a skill that will serve him well, in politics, in church, with his peers. We have taught our son that in this country, we are free to disagree. If the President veers off course tomorrow and says something I believe is wrong, I don't want to watch and think, whew, I am so glad Davis did not hear that. Instead, I would rather use it as an opportunity to teach Davis. Something like this, Davis, what did you think about the President's speech today? You know, Davis he said something that bothers me and I want to talk to you about it and tell you why it bothers me. Davis, I think it is time for you to learn how to write a letter to the President and tell him we don't agree with this law he is asking the Congress to pass. I think that is my job as a parent. There are times we must shelter. We do it from an early age so we can teach them the values and lessons we want them to learn, to give them a foundation. As Christians, our values are founded in our faith in God. I pray our sons see that in our lives and that it will play a role in their decision to also put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. But ultimately, that faith has to come because THEY have thought it through for themselves. If it comes because mom and dad told me this is what I should do, then it is not their faith. Everyday, my boys are going to hear things I don't want them to hear. Because I can not shelter them forever and from everything, then I must equip them to handle what comes their way. I have to teach them to think.