It just goes to show...

I know that up until I was about 19 years old, I held strongly to what I believed my parents believed when it came to politics. I figured, if my parents steered me in the right direction in every other area of my life, they must be pretty dead-on politically, too. I think that is true for most kids (especially under the age of 18).
During the election time, it was very clear to see which of my students parents were voting for whom. If the kids did not out-right tell me, I got a pretty clear picture by a show of hands when asked who the kids would vote for. Obama was outnumbered 12-1 in this little class of mine. That didn't really surprise me. I teach in a Christian school full of right-wing, conservative WASPs. It also didn't surprise me that the one student who was "voting" for Obama happened to be my non-white student of the class... However, today I was surprised by some things.
I took the time to talk about the Inauguration and the new President today. I had a wonderful Scholastic News for the kids to read that was full of pictures and facts about Mr. Obama's life as a kid and into adulthood. There were some pictures and facts about his family, too. We got to discover how very similar (and different) our lives happen to be from the President and his family. Scholastic did a great job "humanizing" Mr. Obama and portrayed him as a real person.
Here is what surprised me. Of all the kids in my class, only two or three stuck to their guns and insisted that they didn't like him. Most of them, when given his "humanness" to look at, were able to relate to at least something. Whether it was the fact that he had a close relationship with his grandparents; he loves basketball; he was a good student; he has a 7-year old daughter (my kids are mostly 7); his girls play the piano... They realized that he just might be a normal guy who happens to have a very big and special job.
What made me sad were the few kids who still insisted, after all the discussion, that they didn't like him. It made me wonder what kind of things were being said at home... I wish that people would just understand that though we might not have gotten our way as far as the election went, we still have to accept what happened. We are called to PRAY for our leaders. Instead of speaking lowly about our President, I wish parents would encourage their kids to talk to God about him. The only way anything is going to change is if we learn to accept people for who they are and realize that none of us are perfect...not even the people we voted for...regardless of who that person was...
I realized one thing that my parents taught me through their honest actions: though they did not always support or enjoy what was going on politiacally in our town, county, state, or nation, they still chose to never speak badly about the political leaders in front of their children. The only bad-mouthing I ever heard came from other family members or adults in my life. My parents knew that it wasn't productive to impress their negativity onto their kids. I thank them for that. I hope I can show that example to my kids in my class, my niece, and any kids of my own I might someday have!
That's all I have to say about that for now. Congratulations, Mr. President. I don't envy the job you have before you...But I do trust that God is in control. And that is a great comfort.