While I prefer to
avoid political posts, I feel I can make an exception given the latest
Presidential election. I do not mean to offend anyone or “ruffle any feathers”.
I have come across articles on how to talk to our children
about the election and its outcome. I have heard what Hillary Clinton had to
say, Stephen Colbert and Samantha Bee among others. Now, it’s my turn.
Yes, Donald Trump is now the President-elect. Do I think
he’s the best person for the job? No. Do I think he’s a decent human being? No.
Do I think he will fail? No. This country was built with checks and balances to
ensure that someone like Donald Trump will never have full control of the
government, the people and the laws. I have enough confidence in our three
branches of government and the structure our Founding Fathers built our nation
on to believe, to know, that Donald Trump will not be the end of the United
States. I find myself actually eagerly anticipating seeing how the next four
years play out, just so that we can all witness exactly how checks and balances
work.
So what did I tell my children about the election? Well, I
told Lucy nothing. She’s 2 ½, for all she knows Elsa is the President of the
US. Talan, on the other hand, believed Donald Trump to be a bully (as do I) and
wanted “the girl” to win. I sat him down on Wednesday, told him the boy had one
and asked him if he had any questions. He said, “Nope!” then ran off. Clearly,
he was not bothered by it at all.
HAD he been bothered by it, I was fully prepared. I would
tell him:
Sometimes,
Talan, the bad guys win. Sometimes, the bully is victorious. Sometimes people
don’t see the bully for what he is because he isn’t a bully to them. We don’t
always get what we want and we have to learn to deal with it and accept what we
do get. Does this mean we stop fighting for what we know is right? Of course
not. Does this mean we have to accept it when the bully bullies us or someone
we love? Of course not. It just means that we have to keep fighting, fighting
harder and fighting in different ways. There are lots of people out there who
will help protect us from the bully. And hopefully, hopefully, the bully will
change.
I would also want to tell him that sometimes winning isn’t
nearly as important as losing and how we react to that loss. Yes, Hillary
Clinton lost the election. Yes, a bully won. But there is nothing we can do
about the presidential outcome. What we can do is react appropriately; we can
continue to be kind to everyone, we
can stand up for others, we can stand up to bullies and show love to everyone
we encounter regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender
identification, religion. We can show others love and hope they show us love in
return. We can be kind to everyone and hope that others see and repeat our
actions. We can do good and be good in a world that needs it now more than ever.
Here’s to hoping the next four years aren’t as bad as some
think they will be. And here’s to hoping love will trump hate.
