VOTE

It's election day. I went to vote this morning and I took the children with me. Neither of them had ever seen the actual voting process; we've always voted absentee because we have lived out of state for previous elections. I had my oldest watch some of the debates and explained to him who each of the candidates were and how they both wanted to be president because they had different ideas of how best to run the country. He nodded his 5 year old head solemnly, watching the screen.

This morning he told me who he would vote for.
"Why him?" I asked.
"I liked his tie when we watched them talking on tv." he replied.
"Most Americans try to think of other things then just his tie when they chose to vote for someone." I said.
"Well, I liked his hair better too." he said, thoughtfully.
"Most people try to think of things other then ties or hair before they vote for someone. They like to think about what they said and what they think..." I tried to explain.
"I don't really understand what they said. It sounded like a lot of words to me."

Sage, this one.

The debates might just be a lot of words; there's little denying that. But the vote matters. We are very lucky to live in a country where we can not only vote for whatever candidate, proposition, or measure as we see fit, but that we can do it safely. My husband is in the military. He has assisted in elections in a country where it can be dangerous to go to a polling place. Where making your voice heard and trying to better your country is very hard. We are so very blessed to live here, in a country where the vote is the thing that made us who we are. We are a country built on the idea of voting freely.

So go out and vote today. Or don't. Because that is also your right. No one here will force you to vote for a certain person, idea, or at all. But it is your right to have a voice. Using it and teaching your children that is a gift that we are so lucky to have.