One of my friends suggested that I might not want to post the letter on the blog because of so many of the strong emotions that seem to be tied to this election. After some thought, I decided to post her letter anyway. She has a right to express her feelings, and she's doing it in a respectful way. Why would someone have a problem with that?
As Donald Trump entered the race for president, Katie was excited to learn his name, just as she was excited to learn the other candidates' names. As a mom to a young child who looked up to all of the presidents, I tried to keep my own views out of her opinion. Every time she was excited to hear of another candidate, I was excited with her.
It didn't take long though before Katie heard Donald Trump on television. The first time she heard him call someone a mean name, she got very upset. She told me that it's mean to call people names. She told me that being a president is an important job. She told me the president needs to know how to be nice to others, just as she had learned at home and at school.
Unfortunately, Katie continued to hear and see Donald Trump act in a way that she wasn't accustomed to witnessing. It didn't take long before Katie didn't want him anywhere near the presidential election. Not because of what I said, but because of the actions and words from Donald Trump.
After the two main candidates were chosen for the presidential race, Katie decided the next president should be Hillary Clinton. There was nothing that she saw from Donald Trump that made her like him at all.
Then one night, I was watching a PBS show on the two candidates while Katie played with her toys. Every once in a while, Katie would stop playing and look up and listen. Eventually, Katie sat beside me and learned more about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. After hearing about Trump's dad dying, she had one of those moments where childhood innocence meets infinite wisdom. She looked at me very seriously and said, "Did you hear that Donald Trump's father died? Maybe that's why he acts the way he does. Maybe he just got mad and started using mean names instead of just crying when he was sad?" It made Katie feel better when she figured out that there might be a reason behind the poor behavior. It didn't change her mind about wanting him to be the president, but it gave her more patience.
I think we have a lot to learn from children. They have strong opinions. They have a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong. They can be disappointed in people but are always willing to look at situations in a whole new way. They look for the best in people and situations. They are full of wonderment.
Before Katie writes her letters, I always have her practice what she wants to say orally. Then we work together to organize her ideas into the final letter. This was her first practice.
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