Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner
Why I won't dress my kid in an Obama onesie.
by Sasha Brown-Worsham
March 3, 2008
The truth is, my political leanings have always had a knee-jerk quality, a childlike simplicity. When I really sit down and think about it, there are some issues on which I swing more conservative. My stance on immigration is moving into McCain territory. And while I will always support gay marriage and a woman's right to choose, my opinion on the latter issue has been forever changed by my first child.
In my family there was little room for deviation. I was taught that not only was the other side wrong, they were stupid. And there is nothing more loathsome to my parents than stupidity. Neither of them ever even entertained the possibility that I might think for myself and draw conservative conclusions.
I have struggled for years to find my own voice in spite of the rhetoric in my head. For me, the world was like Star Wars, divided into good — Democrats — and evil — Republicans. It made things much simpler, but I would not wish that on my child.
A recent article on CNN asked if all this political stumping is good for children. The therapist they interviewed said no. In fact, she said that for children to grow up to be critical thinkers, they needed to seek and learn and come up with own positions. That made sense to me. I may have concerns about the direction of the country, but my kid is new to it all. There's plenty of time for her to see the system's flaws. I'm sure our values will trickle down whether or not I take her to a few rallies. But I plan to at least try to let her make up her own mind.
I want a daughter who is a critical thinker. Of course, I also want a daughter who is a Democrat.
I want a daughter who is a critical thinker. Of course, I also want a daughter who is a Democrat.
I've been a believer long enough to know that I would struggle should my child become a Republican. I'm in favor of debate and dinner table conversation with spark, but I am not in favor of a child who supports the war in Iraq or thinks Bush is doing a great job. Then again, my child can only say one syllable of the word "bottle." We have some time before political arguments come into play.
When this election first started to heat up, I visited websites with candidate-laden baby clothing. I picked out two shirts I wanted her to have. Both were for Obama. After some consideration, I emptied my cart and bought them in my own size only. I did, however, buy her a onesie that reads, "Love makes a family." She doesn't know what it says any more than she knew what super delegates were at stake when I took her with me to vote on Super Tuesday. She was more fascinated by the little black pen and long piece of paper than with the country's future. But I was pleased to have her there. Welcome to Democracy, I thought.
Article photo courtesy Kelly Kienle
©2008 Sasha Brown-Worsham and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Sasha Brown-Worsham's writing has been published by The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and Technology Review. She lives in Boston, where she keeps a blog on thefamilygroove.com and chases her daughter around the house while waiting for their newest family member to arrive. |
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