Election Day: Local Elections Matter

I'm going to keep this one short so you can take the time to check out the links here.

This Tuesday, October 6, is election day.

Municipal elections don't get much media attention or ad spend, but they are critical to our local way of life. I admittedly bust a move on national elections and can lose sight of what happens in my own backyard. However, now that I am a mother of an elementary age son, I view my world a bit differently. Don't get me wrong, I always vote, no matter how "big" or "small" the race. I love to vote and cherish my right to do so. Since my boys have been born I have taken them with me to the polls, whether nestled into the baby carrier, strapped into the stroller, or walking hand in hand. I even let my then-five-year old fill out the ballot for the presidential election in 2008. Voting is a civic responsibility and honor that won't go unnoticed in my household.

This Tuesday we vote for important local offices. In Wake County we are voting on candidates for school board, mayor of Raleigh, and city council. Cary and Durham have city council races (Primary in Durham with the election November 3). These are the people whose legislation and policies directly affect our lives - schools, zoning, budgets, trash collection, recycling, public transportation, use of public space, green space, parks and recreation, public safety (police and fire) and a whole slew of other responsibilities. In a word, these elected officials matter. To all of us.

And please allow me a sidebar here: Just because I didn't have kids in public school before doesn't mean I didn't vote. All these issues, arguably education especially, affect us all.

So do me, and you, a favor. Please go vote on Tuesday. And have a look at the voter's guide here for more information. Voting is a right we take for granted. Make good use of your right on Tuesday, October 6.

Wake County Voter Information

Durham County Voter Information

And on November 3, there are elections in Durham, Angier, Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Morrisville, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell and Zebulon.

As for me, you'll see me at the polls on Tuesday with my two sons in tow. Because I'll be volunteering at the polls all day for Kids Voting, you won't see me in my normal election day partisan attire. But I'll be sporting a Kids Voting T-shirt, proudly supporting an organization that brings our civic process to life in and out of the classroom.

Ilina blogs at Dirt & Noise, where she unleashes her political fury when she's not waxing about her boys' latest mischief or sharing a cocktail recipe on her weekly 5:00 Fridays post.

The Public's Schools

I have a confession to make: As the mother of a rising kindergartner,
there's a tiny part of me that hopes all the "neighborhood schools" candidates get elected to the Wake County Board of Education on Oct. 6.
You see, as a mom, I'd really love for my son (and, in a few more
years, my daughter) to attend the elementary school in our neighborhood.

What's
not to love? We could walk to school in 20 minutes, joining with our
friends along the way to form a daily elementary school parade. He
would be in school with kids he knows, whose parents I know. He'd be at
a "good" school that's safe, familiar, stable and on a traditional
calendar. Norman Rockwell himself would probably want to paint a
picture of it all.

Even before I became a mom, I couldn't fault the parents who complain
about (and then form yet another group to fight) annual reassignments
that resulted in instability, uncertainty and sometimes long drives for
families around the county. Now that I am a mom, I understand their
concerns in a whole new way.

But I know too much. I am more than
a mom -- a former teacher, a public education advocate, a citizen, a
taxpayer -- and I cannot in good conscience support an approach that
will lead to the re-segregation of schools, no matter how lovely my
personal scenario might seem through the eyes of motherhood.

As
a parent, my job is to do what is in the best interest of my own child.
But the teachers, administrators and elected officials in our
community? Their job is to do what is in the best interest of ALL
children, regardless of what neighborhood they live in or who their
parents are.

There are plenty of arguments on all sides of the
debate around "supporting diverse schools" or "supporting neighborhood
schools" (which aren't mutually exclusive in theory, but generally are
opposites in practice). I don't have the time or energy or clarity of
thought to wade through them all. But here are few things that, from
research and personal experience, I know to be true:

• Schools
  with high concentrations of poverty have a harder time being successful
  than schools with fewer low-income students. It's not some kind of
  hogwash about having poor kids sit next to rich kids so they can learn
  better. It's simply that students living in poverty, no matter how
  smart they are, come with additional challenges (like being hungry or
  not having adequate health care or having a single parent who can't be
  home much because she's working two jobs) that schools must try to
  address.


• Schools with high concentrations of poverty
  tend to have higher rates of teacher turnover because they're tougher
  places to teach. That usually means more teachers with less experience
  and a general instability within the school culture, which means that
  teachers suffer and students suffer. And that's all students in the
  school, not just the poor ones. Studies suggest that students in poor
  and minority schools are twice as likely to have an inexperienced
  teacher and are 61 percent more likely to be assigned an uncertified
  teacher.


• Advocates for a "neighborhood schools"
  approach who claim that additional funding will be given to schools in
  poor neighborhoods to help them overcome their challenges are full of
  crap. Particularly in today's world of slashed budgets, the money won't
  be there -- or if it does come, it won't last long. And, unless you're
  Geoffrey Canada in the Harlem Children's Zone, it won't be enough to make a difference.


• Wake
  County's diversity policy is imperfect -- and I think the district
  sometimes does a poor job of implementing the policy, leaving families
  feeling ignored and snubbed -- but maintaining integrated schools is
  the right goal. The district is not "out to get" anyone and derives no
  pleasure from disrupting parents' vision of how school should be. They
  are simply wrestling with making the best decisions they can in support
  of the nearly 140,000 students in the district.

As for the
election on Oct. 6, unfortunately I don't get to vote because I don't
live in one of the districts on this year's ballot. If you are eligible
to vote, I certainly don't presume to tell you who to vote for and am
not endorsing any candidates. But I hope that, regardless of where you
live, you'll consider that, as parents, we have the luxury making
decisions based on our own children. Our school districts must consider
all the children at once.

* * *

If you'd like more information the role of diversity in maintaining healthy public schools, read Making Choices, a report I co-wrote in 2003 when I worked at Wake Education Partnership, or Striking a Balance, a 2008 report from the same organization. And feel free to comment, argue, debate -- just please be polite about it.

When Cyndi climbs down from her soapbox, she can be found blogging at Junius & Pippi Take the Cake.

On Gun Control

I saw this article on our local news yesterday, and it made me sick to my stomach. In case you don't feel like clicking a link, here's the story.

A 2-year-old Sanford boy was killed late Wednesday morning in what authorities have labeled an accidental shooting.


Details were not immediately clear, but Sanford police Capt. David Smith said the child or another child in the home at 522 Cannon Circle got hold of a gun and that it was fired. The boy was shot in the head.


"It�s obvious someone left an unsecured weapon,� Smith said. �We don�t know if the toddler shot himself or if one of the other children in the house was playing with the gun.�


Two other children, ages 3 and 4, as well as the boy's mother, Melanie Tyson, were at the residence at the time. His father, Joey Tyson, was at work. Police did not release the name of the child.


Emergency workers responded to the report at 11:13 a.m., and the child was taken to Central Carolina Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.


Smith did not speculate as to whether the boy's parents will face any charges.


�I don�t want to be premature and talking about charges until we finish our investigation,� he said.

This? This is not ok. And this is why, yes, I absolutely believe that we need tighter gun control laws in this country.

In the interest of full disclosure, let me say this: I admit that I have a somewhat irrational fear of guns. I've never touched a gun in my life, and never want to. When my school decided to take one semester of 7th grade Phys. Ed. and offer "Hunter's Education" class instead, I had my mom write me a note saying that it was against my beliefs. They let me take study hall for that period. I hate guns, I wish they didn't exist.

I think that if you want to own a gun for hunting, fine. It's not my personal hobby, but whatever. If you want a handgun for "personal protection," I think that's ridiculous, but I also realize that it's easy for me to say that from my very safe, upper-middle class neighborhood. I think the idea of anyone owning an automatic rifle is absolutely obscene, and that no one needs an AK-47 outside of a military context.

That said, in spite of all my personal wacky liberal views on guns, I'm not stupid. There's never going to be any real anti-gun legislation that gets passed in this country. For Christ's sake, people show up with loaded assault rifles at town hall meetings when the topic is health care of all things. Try to imagine the reaction if Obama wanted to talk about passing restrictions on gun ownership. Armageddon? Probably close.

But look, there has to be some middle ground here to put an end to these types of horrible accidents. Like oh, I don't know, maybe requiring gun owners to take a basic gun safety course? Or passing a law that if you have a gun and there are children in the house, you also have to buy a lock like this for it?

And I know that all of you conservatives are all about "personal responsibility!" and "I don't want the government passing laws that restrict my freedom!" or whatever the hell your argument is. (Although, ironically, when the issue comes to either abortion rights or gay marriage, y'all want to slap a whole bunch of laws all over that shit. Which makes no sense to me at all, but that's neither here nor there.) But is this really all that different than being required to pass a test before you can get a driver's license, or laws that require car seats to keep your kids safe? I don't see anyone at the DMV with a protest sign, claiming that their personal freedom is being infringed upon.

I'm not unsympathetic to the family in this tragedy. Obviously I have no idea what it's like to lose a child - there are other people out there who know that type of pain, and I'm truly thankful that I don't. I don't think they're bad people, I'm sure they had a gun because they wanted to keep their family safe. But to not only have lost a child, but to also know that you're the one who brought home the weapon that killed your child? I don't know how you go on with your life after that. There has to be something that can be done to prevent these types of tragedies from occurring. There just has to be.

Cindy
has lived in the Triangle since August 2008. Originally, she's a
Southern native (Mississippi girls, holla!) who spent the better part
of the last decade in Seattle, where she met a cute British guy,
married him, and had a beautiful baby girl. Since they had a kid, they
decided that Seattle was too far away from their families, so they
relocated. They're enjoying life in NC, even though they both whine
about the heat during the summer. Cindy blogs at PooBou.com, and is @poobou on Twitter.

Intolerance for Raymond Cook's Inebriation

When I was a little girl I had one of those jewelry boxes with a twinkling spinning ballerina inside. I vividly remember the light blue tulle of her tutu and the shimmering tune of Swan Lake
playing when I'd wind it up. I never took a dance class in my life but
I did daydream about being a ballerina. Didn't every little girl? From
when my oldest son Bird could talk he would always tell me that I
looked like a ballerina whenever I wore a skirt. Now at age six, he
still says it. It's as close to being a ballerina as I ever got. I was
not blessed with a lithe body, good posture, discipline, or grace.

But
Elena Shapiro was. I swear if you look up "ballerina" in the dictionary
Elena's picture was right there. Even her name was fit for a ballerina.
Grace embodied.

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around
the recent tragedy of Dr. Raymond Cook killing ballerina Elena Shapiro.
The irony of a reckless young doctor stealing the life of a vital young
woman is not lost on me.

I heard this news over the weekend
before the media extravaganza began. I was reeling then, and the
subsequent news reports continue to make me foam at the mouth. Disdain.
Disgust. I can't find the right words. A man who committed his life to
saving lives took an innocent life in a fleeting, irresponsible moment.
We often turn to doctors in the apex of our vulnerability. We don't
expect them to heighten our despair; we look to them to give us hope
and health. We take faith that they value their oath. First, do no
harm. We hope and assume that doctors above all value human life in and
out of the hospital, for they have seen the most profound and most
remarkable examples of our mortality.

Cook did more than make a
grave mistake; he sent an innocent young woman to her grave. This was
not a fluke accident for which I can empathize. This was not an
it-could-have-happened-to-me moment. If anything, any one of us could
have been Elena Shapiro. In fact, just moments after the accident,
friends of ours took that very same road en route home, their two
children ages 7 and 4 in tow. Sure, before Friday night Raymond Cook
was a regular guffawing golfing guy hanging out with his buddies on a
deserved afternoon off. Apart from the 300 grand salary, million dollar
home, and medical credentials, he could have been my very own husband.
He was a husband, father, son, friend; he wasn't a monster. But his
actions have made him so. The fact that he has a history of such dangerous reckless behavior makes this case even more reprehensible.

Any one of his choices jeopardized
the lives of those who shared the road with him. The combination was
deadly. He embarked on this irresponsible escapade knowingly, even turning down an offer to arrange a ride home from the bar manager who refused to serve him.
Surely cab fare was not out of his budget. And what responsibility do
his golfing buddies share? Is there shame to go around? How many of
them drove home drunk themselves? One hell of an I-told-you-so-lesson.
This is a 40-something year old man who knows the dangers of drinking
and driving. He knows the ramifications of driving nearly twice
the speed limit. Even when running late, I don't drive twice the posted
speed limit. And the cynic in me says that he wouldn't have been
running late if he had just left the bar earlier.

The image of
a wealthy, successful young doctor careening down the street in his
fancy Mercedes after an afternoon of golfing at the club is even too
cliche for a Jodi Piccoult
novel. The Dr. 90210 figure of the swashbuckling, entitled plastic
surgeon who is above the law fits Dr. Cook to a tee. He's surely not
helping the negative stereotypical light cast on his profession. For
the record, I have had reconstructive plastic surgery for medical, not
cosmetic, reasons. Twice. I am not a naysayer. I am not one who is
distrusting of doctors. We have close friends who are physicians, and I
would trust them with my life. Had I the muster to get into medical
school, medicine would have been my chosen profession too. I revere
doctors, which perhaps adds to the bile this case elicits in me. I
don't know Raymond Cook personally. I don't really give a damn what
kind of man his supporters purport him to be. On Friday, September 11,
a date that already has its gruesome share of mind in our collective
psyches, Raymond Cook became a different kind of man. He murdered a
young woman who posed him no threat. His car his weapon, his disregard
for the law and his overindulgence the fuel. The lifetime of shame and
pain Cook lives with pales exponentially to that of Elena Shapiro's
family. And to think of the future he has laid out for his own family.
I shudder.

Think I'm being too hard on the guy? What if Elena were your daughter?

Surely when you look up "hubris" in the dictionary you see Raymond Cook.

Disgrace embodied.

Ilina, a doting mother of two boys, blogs at Dirt & Noise.When she's not busy with her day job in her own marketing consulting business, she manages to inhale books, cook adventurous healthy creations, and window shop on Etsy. Though she posts a cocktail recipe in a weekly feature called 5:00 Fridays,
she is a vehement supporter of drinking responsibly. Having lost two
friends to a drunk driving accident in college, she has no tolerance
for driving while under the influence.

Power to the Mommies

Do you remember the Motrin Moms incident in November? It was one of the first times Mommy bloggers really used their power and change happened.

Once all of the talk and excitement settled down, the question remaining was, "What do you want to change next?" In January, the answer came with the impending enactment of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). Mommy bloggers, work-at-home moms, and moms everywhere were concerned about how increased and costly safety testing could put thousands of small businesses, Etsy sellers, and many, many work-at-home moms out of business.

Of course as mothers, we want the toys our children play with to be unequivocally safe and we want them to be lead-free. However this act in its sweeping legislative action would potentially have done more to hurt the safe toy industry then it was likely to help. What toys could be safer than ones made by other mommies who are solely dependent on customer happiness and loyalty to remain in business?

In the end, Mommies took to the internet voicing their concerns on blogs, Twitter, through their votes at change.org, and even by contacting their government representatives. And their voices were heard. On January 30th, the Consumer Products Safety Commission granted a one year stay of testing and certification requirements in order to have"more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted."

This was good news to everyone who voiced concerns over this act but most especially to the small businesses who would have been affected. Of course, it is important to note that the work is not finished as now input is needed in how to change this body of legislation to follow through on its good intentions without leaving the path of destruction the original bill would have.

As amazed as I was to see the stay happen, I was even more amazed at the power of the mom, the power of the people. All too often that sweatpants wearing, toddler toting mom is written off as unimportant compared to the executive in the Armani suit, but this stay proves that the mommies of this country have an incredible power and are beginning to use it. In that way, it really is going to be "The Year of the Mom".

An original Triangle Mamas post. Abby has to be vocal about government legislation that bothers her because she's more likely to be heard by the President than by her own 18 month old. She blogs, in case you'd like to listen, at My Sweet Babboo.

One Little Sheep

There is a story in the Bible about a shepherd with 100 sheep. One
night, he is putting all of the sheep back in their pen and only counts
99 of them. He secures the 99 sheep and then goes to search high and
low for the one missing sheep.

My heart hurts today for that one missing sheep.

Some of you know that I used to be the executive director for a
non-profit music school for children from low-income families. Hundreds
of children who were considered "at-risk" youth came through the school
while I worked there, and for the most part, I have all of these warm
fuzzy feelings about success stories. Children who decided to go to
college. Children who earned places in the premier youth orchestra here
in town. Children who got music scholarships to college. A clarinetist
who ended up the top player in the state and is now at Harvard.
Children who I when I bump into them, still give me a hug and have
something good to say about their experience at the school.

Funding was granted because of our successes and our mission. Who could say
no to giving music lessons and instruments to at-risk youth? Even the
White House thought the program was super and in 2004 I took one of our
students there to accept a Coming Up Taller Award from Laura Bush. I was proud of the work we did and the families we helped.

This morning, I turned on the news and saw the other side of the coin.

About
six years ago, there was a little boy who had all the cards stacked
against him. He was withdrawn. His mother got him to lessons late if
she
got him there at all. He was unresponsive with his teacher, although he
really really wanted to learn to play. He was 10 years old with a
tough guy attitude already trapping him behind a thick defensive wall.
When his lessons were over though, he would come see me while he waited
for his mother who often had to be called long after his lesson was
over and told to come pick him up. We would talk, rather, I would talk
and he would give
me one word answers and at least one smile every week. He was the kind
of boy that I knew had it in him to do great things, but had no support
system. I fought like crazy to keep him in the program. Convinced his
teacher weekly to be patient with him, rode his mother to get him there
and get him there on time, and skirted around the attendance rules so
that he wouldn't be kicked out. By the time he was 13, he disappeared.
Phone disconnected, mail returned. Lost from our radar.

Last night he was arrested for murder. He's 16 years old.

It
breaks my heart. It reminds me to look at the kids who
get into trouble with the law and remember that at some point, somebody
believed in them. It reminds me that most of the time, these are kids
who had insurmountable issues at home, if they even had a home. Sure,
they made their own choices and have to answer for them, but somewhere
along the way, he was let down by the people who should have done right
by him.

When I saw his mugshot on the news, I didn't see a murderer. I saw the
little boy who never lost his drumsticks and always wanted to have his
lesson even when his ride dropped him off so late that the next student
had already started.

This little boy had potential to succeed, and the adults in his life
failed him. Then he failed himself. I'm just so sad. I wish that I had
tried harder to find this one sheep and keep him with us. Keep him in a
program where he could learn self respect, good self esteem, and self
discipline.

The 99 continue to make it worth all the work, but my heart is broken today for the one little sheep.

Cross posted at Don't Take the Repeats.

What Do You Want to Change Next?

Christopher and I have been sick. Since early last week, we have been battling stomach viruses and flu viruses. Of course, if I hadn't taken him into the doctor for the stomach virus, we would likely not be battling a flu virus, but that's another story.

Saturday morning, Kevin, Christopher and I stopped by Target on the way home from the pediatrician. We bought some generic Motrin for babies. Little one had a fever that wasn't budging, and we fully intended on medicating our baby according to the doctor's suggestion. I bought the generic. I usually do.

Later that day, when I checked into Twitter, there was a new #thing. Not that I really understand the whole # in front of words, but I think it has to do with groups. Anyhow, the new one was #motrinmoms.

If this story is new to you, I suggest you go to Advertising Age and read this synopsis. They sum it all up nicely with the appropriate links. That will give you the basics.

There are also the opinions of bloggers who think people have over reacted, and of course the blogger who just has a great sense of humor about it. I'm finding the difference of opinions fascinating.

And because I'm sure you were wondering, the ad annoyed me. I found it completely miss the mark. I didn't feel the need to rant over it, but then again, I'm already not a fan of Motrin's parent company.

My point, however, is that did you know they have removed the ad? Did you know that they apologized?

Did you know that someone is listening to mothers online? I mean someone beside the crazy stalkers?

Our voices have always mattered. We are telling the stories of our lives, our families, our children, and everything else we hold dear. Our voices are important and deserve to be heard. There just seems to be more and more proof that the world is starting to listen.

I think this year has been a year of discovering how we can be part of the change in the world.

What do we want to change next?

Sign Wars

The sign wars are upon us.  Up and down my street, my neighbors are putting out their yard signs to show which candidate they support.  McCain across the street � Obama next door.  Obama three doors down and McCain the two houses after that.  House by house, we are a neighborhood divided.  Only if you look at the signs, of course, because it�s not like we are really talking about it.  That is, we�re not talking about it with the McCain supporters across the street.

So why, if the election is what is really on everyone�s minds, are we ignoring the proverbial white elephant in the room?  Do we simply want to be polite and respectful to those who have an opinion different from our own or is it just easier to only speak with those who share our views?  I�m not sure if my 83-year-old McCain-loving neighbor was insulted or amused when my five year old asked her why she liked war so much.  She was confused at first but he pointed to her McCain yard sign and said, �You like McCain so you must like war.�    She laughed a little and looked at me.  I shrugged and said, �We�re an Obama family� and that sort of ended the discussion.

I have always shied away from talk of politics.  Typically, I have felt too un-informed to participate in such conversations.  I don�t even know what a Pundit is.  But it�s like March Madness and suddenly I�m a basketball fan.  I am late coming to the impassioned political party but here I am.  I watched the debate.  I follow the polls.  I go on-line to listen to the speeches.  I read the headlines on Huffington Post.  I can honestly say that I have never before quite felt this way about an election � completely emotionally invested in the outcome. This will be the first time that I will be voting for a candidate rather than against one.  And I want to talk about it. 

However, I am aware of a certain discomfort in discussing such matters.  Being from New England and in the words of Dar Williams, �We don�t like to make our passions other people�s concerns.�  I was raised in a family where polite conversation did not involve talk of politics, religion and sex.  I personally felt uncomfortable reading a blog post recently written by someone who is very pro-Palin and I will guiltily admit that I may not be back to read that particular blog for a while.  Several others have commented that they steer clear of politics on their personal blogs for the same reasons and I understand.  It simply feels safer to talk about the current state of the election with like-minded people � I get it. 

The problem is, only speaking with folks who feel the same way I do isn�t really helping the cause.  I can write numerous posts about what I like about Obama and what I dislike about McCain and those of you who agree with me will say, �Sing it Sister� and those of you who disagree will quietly click away.  I�m sure I won�t be changing anyone�s mind if they have already made their decision.  There is no reason for stumping here.  [For those who are completely undecided and plan on flipping a coin in the voting booth, email me and I�ll tell you why I am pro-Obama � or ask my five-year-old.]  Seriously, do you really want to hear what I think of Palin�s Katie Couric interview?  I bet you can guess. However, I feel that we do need some true activism so I make the following proposals for whatever side of the ticket you are leaning:

1. Stop talking about the candidate for whom you are not voting and start talking about the candidate for whom you are voting.  Tell us why you think he�s the right man for the job.

2. Write a heart-felt email or letter detailing these reasons and send it to everyone you know.

3. Call your local campaign office and find out how you can help.  You can volunteer any number of ways by helping to get folks registered to vote or making calls.  If you don�t have that kind of time, offer to donate food to feed the other volunteers.  Here is the contact info for the Durham for Obama office but oddly enough, I couldn�t find a local office for McCain.

4. Donate to the campaign of your choice.  It�s going to take money to campaign hard in the battleground states, which now includes North Carolina.

5. Offer to drive someone to the polls that ordinarily might not be able to get there on their own.

6. Find out who�s on the fence � these are the people who will decide the election and these are the people we need to be talking to.

7. Get the facts on your favorite candidate � feel free to correct people who are spreading ideas that are simply not true.  For example, �No, Obama is not the anti-Christ.�  Need help wading through all the �facts�?  Go to Factcheck.org for nonpartisan information.

8. If you are not already, get registered to vote.  You must be registered by October 10th.  If you don�t know how to do this, go to RocktheVote.com and do it on line.

9. By all means, vote.  But only McCain or Obama can be president so think carefully before wasting your vote on a third party candidate or write-in.  No one has ever made it to the Oval Office by a write-in vote.  If you do decide to write-in your vote, email me ahead of time so I can make sure you know how to spell my son�s name correctly. 

Right now, especially here in the Triangle, it feels like anything can happen.  But if true change is to happen, it is going to have to start with us.  Be proactive!  Stake your yard sign proudly.  And please, please talk about it � I�d love to hear what you are thinking.

Susie writes about her kids and their political wisdom on her personal blog At Home With Me.

 

 

Rally, Rally, Rally

On Saturday morning, I  joined thousands of other North Carolinians in witnessing a piece of history.  I had to stand in a line at least 10 city blocks long in a steady drizzle without an umbrella.  While standing in this line that moved a distance of one block during the first hour, I had to entertain, rock to sleep, feed, and change the cloth diaper of a 15 month old.  All this had to be done without the convenience of a diaper bag, a changing table, a nearby trashcan, or even a 2 foot by 2 foot span of space.  It also had to happen through the shouting of street vendors, the grumbles of fellow citizens, and even the pounding of drums.  To say it was a challenge would be an understatement.  This was extreme parenting.

I would be lying if I said I wasn�t a bit put out.  I was battling a cold, a weak bladder made worse by a Venti Starbucks,  and my own general dislike of public events.  There were many times where my will was weak and the comfort of my home beckoned, but I persevered knowing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  This was history and this was absolutely worth it.

As the speeches began, all the challenges of the wait melted away.  I was listening to one of the greatest orators of our time.  I was surrounded by a diverse group of  people, African-American college students, a bilingual family of four, a group of septuagenarian  women, and a priest among them.  Yet we were all there for one common cause.  We were all there with one common belief�

Yes we can!

Crossposted at My Sweet Babboo. In addition to being an active participant in the political process, Abby is the mama of a one year old who blogs at her personal mommy blog, My Sweet Babboo.