Talking to Your Kids About the Inauguration

On the eve of another Presidential inauguration in the United States, I want to say a few words about what kids need to know about it. Tomorrow there will be two camps of citizens. One camp voted for Obama and are in hog heaven right now. The other camp voted for McCain and many of them are feeling some trepidation.

But, you say, there are more people than that. There are some who did not vote. To that I say, they don't count. They don't count because they chose not to count by not voting. This was a very important election--many problems and challenges await our next president and we must be sure to have the right person in that hotseat. So if you chose not to vote, you don't count in this discussion. That is one lesson for our kids.

More importantly, tomorrow we will have another peaceful, orderly transfer of power in our government. This is what our children should know about. Here in this country our strength is in our constitution and the freedom we have to elect our representatives. We can also fire them when we think they do not do a good job. Very few countries around the world have this opportunity.

Frankly, I voted for the other guy for reasons I will not discuss here. But I will support and honor Obama as my President. The office means something special around the world. Sitting in the office of the President mean that Obama represents all that is wonderful in our country. I am sure that I will disagree with his decisions, based on our philosophical differences (in fact that has already happened), but I will never say or do anything to demean him or dishonor the institution of the President of the United States.

In four years, I get a chance to evaulate the job he has done and to vote to keep or fire him. We all do and that is what our children should be focused on. Not whether we like him right now, not what his race or gender are, not what party he represents.

Those things pale in comparison to the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world--the greatest civilization that has ever inhabited this planet. What is important is that even when there is change in power, our children sleep peacefully in their beds and never notice the difference.

God Bless America!