A Call for Unity That Makes Sense
Well. What a week. I had another topic to post but given the historic nature of last Tuesday, it just didn’t seem natural to go ahead like nothing has happened.
None of us is untouched by the events of the last week, and many of us are feeling mentally and emotionally tapped. But I promise you that this post is not politically charged; it’s not my purpose to use pulseonparenting to spread propaganda. My site is intended for every parent, left- or right-wing. It is meant for mothers and fathers and guardians, stay-at-home parents and parents who have careers outside the home. Parents of one and parents of many. This blog is for everyone because I firmly believe that all of us parents are in this together, no matter what.
When it comes right down to it, we all want the same things. A safe community. An affordable home. Good schools. Healthcare. A savings account. Security. We fear losing these things if we have them and worry how to get them when we don’t. We all fear, we all worry. We don’t all agree on how to get and maintain good lives, but in the end, that’s what we want. This desire is our common ground.
And that’s how we vote. We make the best decision we can, fill in the bubble and hope. We are a nation almost evenly divided, down the the tenth of a percentage point on how to create a better society. Not just for ourselves, but for our children. Despite those differences, we have this in common: we want the best for our kids, to leave them a legacy that will give them better than what we have.
Last week we traded one unknown for another. The election is over, we have the results. And in January our country will have a new leader but where that leader will take us…we don’t know. The turbulence of this recent election has made the future more unsettling than in years past but we inevitably will move ahead. And how do we take our kids with us on this uncharted journey?
I guess like anything else, one day at a time.
The true future of our nation lies with our children. We teach them good manners and solid values and as parents try to live both out by example. As my kids get older (and read the newspaper and get tech savvy, finding the violent and questionable in both), it becomes more challenging to reinforce those values. Actions speak louder than words, but words are pretty powerful, too, when you are an impressionable tween emerging on those years where rebellion is not only king, but a necessity to growing up. This is where we parents must step up our game.
We can use the outcome of this election, and any world event, to our advantage. Reinforce right and wrong, compassion, and respect with our words. We can commit acts of kindness and encourage our kids to do the same. This is where we come together: we all want to raise our children the best way possible. And doing so speaks louder than any vote or street-clogged protest.
I love the saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” That’s something we all can relate to so let’s commit ourselves and children to it. Smile and hold that door. Pick up trash at the local park. Tip your server well. Let’s be the grassroots movement that truly makes our country a better place.
