Election Day Activities

Some parents let their kids skip school on their birthday. I'm not one of those parents. If the school is open, you're supposed to be there. Well....I let Megan skip school today! Nick had the day off because his school is a polling location. I'm all for it. I don't want a bunch of strangers wandering around my kid's school while he's there. After weeks of lessons and chats about U.S. presidential history (and a big talk about how there may be a very long line, but it's important that we stand in it because voting is of utmost importance and in our country it is not only legal but SAFE to vote for whomever you choose), I set off for Nick's school with the kiddos. I tried to get in after the before-work crowd had passed and before the lunch-hour crowd got there. It worked and there was no line! We didn't even need the snacks and water I'd stuffed in my purse.

This has been such a great experience for me as a parent. I know I'm super social studies nerdy, but c'mon! I spent an entire lunch at a restaurant Sunday talking with my kids about democracy and how it is not the norm around the world. I quizzed them on the home states of both candidates and their VPs. We talked about senators and governors. Nick calculated on a napkin that he will be able to vote for the first time in the 2020 presidential election....and he will be eligible run in 2036. We talked about polling place etiquette and I they know what voter intimidation means and why it's bad. All of this was, of course, was peppered with fun presidential facts and anticdotes. Ask Nick which president never won a national election, yet was still president - he knows.

With the business of the day completed by 10:30am, we headed off to the zoo with some friends to celebrate.

Now we're all snuggled in for the night. I'm sad my hubby won't be with me on the couch tonight watching the results. I hope he can find CNN in HD somewhere in Seattle. Maybe some of the sports bars are running election results tonight!