I never really cared about politics... I was more than happy to go about living my life in utter oblivion as far as the country was concerned, the economy, war, , ect. I figured the less I knew the better off I was. That was until this year.
Maybe I became a grown up, maybe my cousin being over in Iraq, maybe wanting to buy a house & invest my money finally made me aware,maybe it was the word depression being thrown around, the bail out of the banks & no help for the people themselves, whatever it was I am glad I woke up.
It's sad to think that I am 27 & this was my first time voting,but this election meant something to me. It meant something to my 8 year old daughter. It meant something to my generation.
I used to feel like, oh what does my one vote count for anyways... Well, I felt like it counted, I felt like I made a difference in the destination of my country, the future of my children by casting my one measly little vote. I was proud of myself, though I did not get the experience of the voting booth because I am still registered in Massapequa & had to cast an absentee ballot, but I voted none the same.
Watching the news, I was proud of the all the people waiting in line to vote for their first time just like me. I haven't felt pride like that since everyone came together in NY after 9/11. That was a pride I thought I would never feel again & glad that I did under much happier circumstances.
My daughter has been asking a lot of questions about voting, electoral votes, what the politicians stand for. I have explained suffrage, the civil rights movement, the difference between the popular vote & how that sways the electoral vote. I felt proud as a mother to have a child that was so eager to learn & was so invested in this as well, I was also proud to be able to have the knowledge to teach her the history & the struggles people have endured to be able to have this right that I have taken for granted since earning the privilege with my 18th birthday.
Alyssa voted at school, Alyssa voted on Nick Jr. com, Alyssa followed the news with me, making her own decision on who she wanted to be our next president. I did not sway her to my vote I let her hear what each candidate stood for & let her form her own opinion on what was she felt was important to her as an eight year old child.
She was in school and her teacher asked the class, "who do you want to be president?" & then told them they had to give her a reason other than that is who my family wants. My daughter was able to tell her class she wanted Obama & able to explain why she chose him. She brought up points of the middle class, now understanding what that was & that we were them. She brought up ending the war sooner & how her Uncle Jay is over there. I am hoping that this instilled in her the want to care & the desire to make her one vote count.
Last night, Alyssa & I watched ABC, NBC, FOX constantly switching back & forth to see who had the latest updates as to who had won what states, to watch the electoral count as well as the popular vote. We watched with eagerness, sometimes aggravated at how long it was taking. Alyssa made signs for Obama for me & the baby to hold, she made up cheers for both Obama & McCain. I was so amazed to see how excited & invested she was in this. She was so tired at one point that I told her to go to bed & she could find out in the morning. Her eyes welled up & she told me NO. She couldn't sleep till she knew. Who was I to take this from her, she was witnessing history no matter who won & she knew it. She told me, "Mom it's history if Obama win cause he will be our first black president & it's history if McCain wins cause it will be our first woman vice president." She was right.
I felt proud to be able to share this with my child, as well as that I myself took part.
As they announced Obama, I felt my eyes tear up, I felt myself breathe a sigh of relief, I felt a peace come over me that everything WAS going to get better, change was on the horizon & I felt a my faith in this country restored.
When Obama came out to speak, I was alone, Alyssa & Pat had gone to bed, Taylor asleep in her Moses basket on the couch. I forced myself to stay awake to hear our new president speak. (We all know that sleep is scarce with a newborn but this was more important). Before I realized it I was sitting on the floor in front of the TV, legs in Indian style, like a child watching cartoons, watching with such eagerness taking in every word. When he spoke, I found myself almost crying, periodically wiping a tear from my eye, because for the first time in a long time, I believed in something, I felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself, because this man's words were so encouraging & so powerful to me.
When they scanned the crowd it warmed my heart to see young & old, black & white, rich & poor, all standing side by side with the same look in their eyes, belief in the words of the man that spoke before them, relief that things will get better & pride for themselves, their country & our new president.
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