A Side of History with Those Eggs?

It is days like today that I am reminded of how important it is to be your child's first teacher...

Not only was today a day on which we celebrate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr, a day worthy of tremendous celebration and teachable lessons in and of itself. But is was also historically significant in that it was the day that we saw the swearing in of this nation's first African American President for his second term in office. As millions converged upon this nation's capitol to celebrate this momentous event, my family and I were going about our morning, happy to have T (aka Daddy) home for the holiday.

As we were munching our turkey bacon and scrambled eggs, I turned on the TV to try and catch a few moments of the ceremonies. With a 3 year old and an 18 month old, I fully expected that I would be able to catch a word here and there and maybe, just maybe, capture their attention long enough to hear a "...So help me God." I was wrong.

While baby B was pretty much enthralled with his eggs, my daughter was glued to the TV. Maybe it has a little something to do with the fact that we usually have a strict no-TV during mealtime policy in our house, maybe it had something to do with the thousands upon thousands of people that were crowding that mall in DC. Whatever it was, my 3 year old was interested....and this was a lesson that I didn't want her to miss out on. This was indeed, a very teachable moment.

So we grabbed our turkey bacon and juice and moved into the living room to watch the proceedings.

I am quite proud of the fact that she knows the president by face...."Mama, its The Obama!" is what she says whenever she sees our Commander in Chief on TV. And she knows that his wife's name is Michelle. But I do think this was the first time that she has seen the First Daughters and she was obsessed. From their colorful coats to the dance they both shared with Michelle when she came out to greet the crowds.....she was all over it! She wanted to know where they lived, where they went to school, whether or not they played soccer or did ballet. I answered what I could and maybe made up a little of what I didn't know....no harm in that right?

My point is, while she may not be concerned with the attack on Benghazi or what the latest gun control legislation will be (nor should these be things her innocent little mind should be consumed with), she was taking an active interest in the American political process. She was witnessing history through the eyes of a 3 year old and she was fascinated. Maybe, just maybe, when she cracks a history book sometime down the road in her education, she will remember sitting in my lap and watching history be made.

Days like today, restore a small sliver of faith in our American political process, and give me hope for the future that we will be handing to our children and grandchildren. For although the days are many that the system seems quite broken, today, the world looked in on us and saw a peaceful celebration of the democratic process. A day fitting of celebration indeed. Just ask my sweet R....