This evening I took my 5 and 6 year old to our state capital building to participate in a candlelight vigil urging Congress to override the president’s veto of SCHIP. My kids were excited to go and I wondered how much they really grasped of what was going on. I asked our 6 year old son what he thought we were doing.

“We’re gonna hold candles and make George Bush say he’s sorry.”

“What should he apologize for?” I asked bemused at his answer.

“He doesn’t want all the kids to go to the doctor and get shots and be healthy every day.”

At this point his 5 year old sister chimed it, “It’s because he’s wrong, he thinks kids don’t want to go to the doctor but they really really do. Maybe he just needs a hug and a time out.”

To set the stage a little we do explain in child friendly age appropriate terms what is going on in our country, especially if it impacts them or someone close to them. We try very hard to present facts and not to indoctrinate them into our personal beliefs. We encourage critical thinking, asking questions, and being able to come up with your own ideas on things.

I’m usually pretty amazed at the way the kids, especially the younger ones, grasp things. They are very caring and at times inform others of their opinions. Tonight we ran by the store to buy candles and our daughter was chatting up everyone she could about the importance of the “candle virgil” and how “George Bush said ‘no healthy surance!’”

This enthusiasm and genuine empathy for others is something that I wished people never lost. If we could just see things through the eyes of a child more often perhaps we would be better off.

The vigil was wonderful, all the kids there did an awesome job and should be an inspiration to us adults. Our daughter did scare one little girl with the statement, “kids need healthy surance so they can get shots!” but overall it was great. Oh, and if anyone sees a chalk drawing on the sidewalk outside of the capital building that looks an awful lot like a part of the male anatomy, my son assures me it is a snail going to the doctor. I guess he has “healthy surance”.

If you haven’t already please contact your Representatives and urge them to override the president’s veto on SCHIP. You can find the contact info HERE.

Possibly Related posts