Yesterday I decided to go vote when my younger girls left for school. Since the polling location was just across the street at the City Office building, I walked over with Lyra and Pyper on their way to school.
It's been kind of fun this election year. Since my kids are older, we've talked a lot more about politics than we have in the past. It's been fun to watch them form their opinions of the candidates and ask questions about how the whole election process works.
Pyper asked me as I kissed her goodbye in front of the City Office if she could vote. I told her she could when she got home from school, thinking that she meant on a kids site online that we had talked about the night before. She and Lyra went off to school and I voted and went about my day.
Fast forward a few hours...Pyper came home from school, and the first thing she said to me was "Mom, can I go vote now?" I told her sure, we'd look up a site and she could vote. That wasn't what she wanted. "No mom, I want to go to the building you did this morning and push the buttons like you did before when I got to vote." The last time we had an election, she was 3 and came with me while I voted. Apparently, she felt that she needed to "vote" again, and she was not very happy when I explained that she wasn't old enough to vote!
I gave her my "I Voted" sticker and that made it a little better! Then we got chatting about school. I asked if they had a vote at school today. She told me that her teacher had them put their heads on their desks and then raise their hands for either Romney or Obama.
We talked about who had won in her class vote, and we would have to see if her class prediction was right or not. She asked me if she had to tell me who she voted for. We talked about how in the United States we have a secret ballot, so she doesn't have to tell anyone who she voted for unless she wants to and that was probably why her teacher had them put their heads on their desks when they voted at school.
She then informed me that she didn't care if I knew that she voted for Romney. I asked if she had any particular reason that she had chosen Romney over Obama, curious as to what she would say. (I'll admit that sometimes I like to encourage her along just to see what she'll say cause it's usually pretty funny. This time was no exception!)
Her reply? "Well mom, if Obama gets to be the president again, then his wife isn't going to let us have pizza at school lunch anymore!" Ah, the stresses of second grade politics!
