Voting Mamas

Voting is so important to expose our kids to for several reasons.

Model respect during voting season, so your kids can see your tact.

This is it... This is what all of those bubble practice tests in school prepared us for. "Pick your candidate, and completely fill in the circle." Do it right or it won't count. What those bubble in tests did not prepare us for was how to react to people who feel our opinions are not okay because they're "not theirs."

That one oversized piece of paper can determine so much. What it cannot do is give us answers.

It cannot tell us who the best candidate will actually be.

It can't tell us how to instill values into our children.

It can't tell us how to respect each other, including those with differing opinions.

That piece of paper won't show our children how to act civilly.

Our Children

That ballot sheet may decide who presides over our country, but we need to remember that we are the ones who preside over our children. If we don't raise them to love, respect, and value others, no one else is going to do it. What they will learn from the world is not it.

Voting as a Family Affair

While voting may not seem like a family thing, it absolutely should be. Social learning and modeled behaviors are real, and if we don't lead by example, it won't matter who the president is. While who we choose vote for is important, who we choose to be is more so. Teach your kids that voting is very important and is a great right to exercise, but loving thy neighbor is the greatest right of all. That command wasn't put in place by a president, but by God, and it is up to us to live it and hope our kids will follow suit.