With the
recent elections, we noted that our “Greats” were confused, worried and
questioning about the political noise that was surrounding them on the media, in
their schools and at lunch and dinner conversations.
The
nastiness of the recent campaigns led to some citizens feeling that their votes
didn't matter, and that their opinions weren’t being heard. As grown-ups, we believe that “Voting Matters” and voting is one of the greatest
privileges and duties we have as citizens of the United States. We also feel
that if our votes are not heeded, we need to make our voices heard in other
ways.
We wanted
our “Greats” to feel that what they think and opine about the world around them
is important. We try to model and teach empathy; we try to reassure our
youngest that they will be safe; we try to teach or preach that their friends
and even those that may not be their friends are worth being protected and respected.
So, in that vein,
we decided to start our “Greats” on a political path that requires some
thinking, pondering, action and writing. We did this in order to give
them the feeling that they can make a difference by their actions; that they
are not helpless in this political world in which we live.
We created and printed
stationary with each child's name and address, plus envelopes with their return
address. On a separate page, we printed the names and addresses of each child's elected
representative as follow:
·
Two Senators
·
One Congressional Representative
·
One State Senator
·
One State Assembly Person
·
One Mayor of the City
·
One County Supervisor
·
One City Council Person
·
One Governor of the State
We know this
may sound overwhelming, but the idea is that if a child simply states his/her
concern about an issue, and sends it to an elected official, it is more than likely they will receive a response,
which we hope would be the beginning of the feeling that one opinion counts;
that one vote counts.
This has been a very unusual year, but we hope that together, we can make our voices heard, not let the bullies beat us, and that Peace and Health surround you and your families.
June and
Laurie
