History

We watched President Obama's inauguration this morning, my four kids and I. It was an historic moment, and I wanted the kids to be a part of it. (Although I didn't try to explain just why it was so historic; Ezra, the only one who would even remotely understand, doesn't understand why it is a big deal that a black man should be president. He'll understand the historic context someday, but for now I'm very content to let it be so.)

So when my children say, "I was alive when President Obama became president, but I sure don't remember any of it," then I will pull out this post and say, "We all watched it together. This is what you did: Ezra, you mentioned twice during the 30-second oath that your feet hurt and you couldn't stand anymore. Mercy, you begged me for more "cherries" (licorice) You also decided that the name Barack Obama must be a girl's name, and kept calling our new president "she". Gideon, you spent the time tossing Goldfish crackers onto the floor. Heber, you contentedly nursed through the entire event. You three older kids begged me to turn off the "news" and put back on your cartoon."

And thus an important, historical event occurred for our nation, and it made no impact on my children. Which, honestly, is how it should be.