Elementary Politics

3:00 Tuesday afternoon. November 4, 2008.
"We had an election at school today," MG and E inform me around their after-school snack.

"You did?" I ask, "Who won?"

"McCain" they both inform me.

7:00. Wednesday morning. November 5.
Kids are up, eating breakfast. Mom puts on a smile and says, "The results of the election came in last night and our new President in January will be Barack Obama."

"What?!!?" yells E.
"No, no, no!!!" says MG.

...

They both start crying.
Really.
They do.

Some no-nonsense comforting. Some good talking to about being thankful in everything. Drying tears. Hugging shoulders. The kids are sent on their way to school...

...with a little better attitude, but still somewhat depressed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7:00 A.M. Thursday. November 6, 2008.

"Mom!!!" remembers MG. "Yesterday I heard that Obama would take God out of The Pledge Of Allegiance (sniffle, sob) and...(voice quivering and full of tears) that all kids would have to go to school on (wailing now) Saaa-turrrr-daay!!"

I laughed. "Don't worry, MG. He won't do that. And if he does, we can still pledge our country to God, because that is what we want to do. He will not stop us from doing that. We can say it if we want, and those who don't want to say it, do not have to."

"Oh. Good!" she says.

And I am thinking, what ELSE is she going to hear at school from her class chums?

Same day. 9:45 AM. Fred's parking Lot.
mg is home from school due to a horrid sinus headache

We have been to the library, and several other places, when seemingly out of nowhere MG heaves a large sigh, full of sadness and resignation and says, "Mom? If he DOES change the pledge...I guess it will be like this:

I pledge allegiance
To the Flag
Of the United States of America
And to the Republic,
For which it stands,
One nation
Under (gulp, slight quiver of the voice)
........Obama---"

And this is when I start laughing.
Oh, my!!! Or as my Uncle Ralph would say, "GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING!!!"

Dana and I have not really talked much politics at home, and when we do, the kids are swinging from the branches and flipping through the sky and flying from the swings or digging secret passages in our backyard...but usually they are sleeping during our political discussions. And even if they did hear our conversations, none of them leaned in this direction! We think that they CERTAINLY must be getting a lot of interesting information from their classmates!