The Election

I’m thankful that I live in a country where we have election days.

I’m even more thankful that those days come to an end.

People just get so full of hate. Irrational arguments. Fallacies that make my head spin. My timing in leaving Facebook was superior; I didn’t see ANY of the mud last night that I know was being slung around. We don’t have cable, so we were spared the ridiculous ad campaigns that don’t change perspectives, but rather just further stoke the fire.

Instead, I got to see the election, one of the great things that makes our country different, from the eyes of my six year old.

It started a few weeks ago. Jackson started asking questions. Questions about voting and debates and the candidates. I explained it all to him, and explained what each candidate was for. I explained why we were backing our candidate. He decided to do the same. That night, he prayed for the maturity I wish most adults had: “God, please help us to respect whoever gets elected.” We had a conversation earlier in the day that God calls us to follow our government and obey the laws of the land and our leaders. He got it.

This week was election week, and we did all sorts of things! He created his own “If I were President” book, with his platform being “to stop people from painting on the walls” (I’m guessing this relates somehow to his sisters). He promised to work really hard, and illustrated it with a red faced man sweating, lol!

Then the big night came! I had printed out a map of the country and an electoral vote tracker, and he sat and watched the results come in. He was excited at first, and I thought he would do it for a few minutes and then move on.

Oh no, my friends. He sat, watching minute by minute coverage from 5:30-8:30! He asked me to bring him snacks and water! He did not move from that spot, and would give me updates on the states and popular vote count (the website we were following gave updates every single minute!). He would cheer when states would flip the color we wanted, and was so involved. Finally at 8:30 when Mama noticed him rubbing his eyes, I decided it was time to go. The electoral vote was tied…162 to 162. It was right before it switched to an Obama lead, and Jackson had been watching the states that were left closely. “Mom, I think Obama is going to win.” A little over an hour after he went to bed, the race was called.

I broke the news to him that his candidate lost last night when he woke up this morning.

“Oh.” He replied. “Well, at least he won Arizona!”. Now there’s the attitude, sport! Lol!

It was the most fun I’ve ever had on an election night. Watching him discover what its all about, rooting for a cause, and finally accepting defeat was a lesson to me. Sure, he didn’t understand all the causes and consequences of the decision that America made last night…but he was delighted in the freedom we had to make those choices. I found delight in it through him.

He begged to do it again in four more years.

I’m sure I will beg him to as well.