I have been watching both conventions. I watched the RNC in CLE and the DNC in Philly. Hashtag whatever..
This post has NOTHING to do with my personal feelings about the election or about who I will vote for on election day.
This post has EVERYTHING to do with children. I am a mother and I am a wife and I am a teacher. My 4 youngest children are ages 9 and under. I home educate my children, I'm a foster parent and my husband works out of town which means that I am working extra hard to rear the children to be productive and kind human beings.
As I watch speeches and see commentary, I keep hearing the theme about how our future is with children and the candidates want the best future for the children and the children are our future and so on.
But as a mother, teacher, and wife, I am asking you to STOP about the children. PLEASE! I see NO role models for children when I watch the news. What I DO see is bullying, mocking, shaming, lying, and manipulating.
When I sit at the dinner table with my four youngest, I teach them about table manners, polite conversation, respect, honesty and positive relationships and interaction.
When I sit in my family room and watch the news, I see the complete opposite.
It is not fair for you to bring up how much you care about children and how you want a good future for them when in your own speech you are being a terrible example.
If my children acted like you do in your speeches, I would be embarrassed to be their mom.
What do I teach my children? Things like...
Don't tease
Don't mock
Don't name call
Respect one another
Use manners
Don't be arrogant or prideful
We literally sit at the table and talk about how to do these things. We practice polite table conversation, making respectful comments, and how to use manners. We talk, laugh, be silly and even cry. We try not complain about our food and we try to find positive things to talk about.
I would NEVER invite one of you over to my house for dinner. You would be at my dinner table for about 20 seconds before you ended up in time out with your nose in the corner.
It is really embarrassing and upsetting when I am trying to teach the children about the election process and the beauty of our country and I can't even have them watch because it is so ugly and mean.
Here is how my directions for dinner conversation would go if I was running for public office...
"Carmen, tell me something you hate about Emmett and something you think you can do better."
"Maggie, try to imitate something about John that annoys you. Exaggerate and be really mean when you do it and try to hurt his feelings and make other people not trust him."
"Everybody start yelling really loud to make your point."
"When someone says something MEAN about someone at the table, start cheering."
You can all brag about being public servants, but I consider myself a public servant, as well. A public servant is defined as a government official. I am a public servant in my home because my husband and I "govern" our home. We are the officials who were "elected" by God to be the lead officials in our home. Yes, PARENTS. We are parents. What we do in our home with our children will affect society.
So I hope it is not our children that you are looking out for and saying you care about. Please leave them out of your mudslinging, mockery, blame, anger and gossip.
I'm just fine spending time with them at my dinner table. You're not invited unless you put your napkin on your lap and act civil.
Oh, dinner is over. I have to sign off and get back to the convention for more talk of children and innocence and tugging at heart strings to get votes.
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