You’ll be unsurprised to learn that Polimom talks with AC (at a low level of detail) about many of the things I post about. A couple of her recent observations were interesting.
The Foley scandal, for instance, sparked a conversation between us about the page program. Polimom was not politically engaged as a young person, so I didn’t know about it. AC’s upbringing, however, is much different, and she finds the page idea inspiring. She tells me she’d LOVE to spend a year in D.C., fetching coffee or whatever, to get a feel for what actually goes on there.
And I agree with her. There’s a great deal to be said for engaging interested young people in the political process. They are, after all, our future; they need to know. So — Polimom’s hoping that the page program survives the recent flack.
Then there was the horrific tragedy at the Amish schoolhouse. Polimom talked to AC about the community’s forgiveness, and I also mentioned the young girl — just slightly older than AC — who stepped forward to say, “Shoot me first”.
AC was stunned by such selflessness, and came home from school yesterday announcing that she’s decided to be Amish (if I could please still drive her places too far to bike, please). When I pointed out that we don’t actually have an Amish community in Katy (that I know of), she suggested, then, that she could be Mennonite (since we have Mennonite cousins). Again… nobody nearby.
After more discussion about whether one needs to belong to a particular religion to manifest spiritual strength, she ultimately decided that it wasn’t so much who they were as what they did that made the difference.
Polimom likes that.
In fact, I liked both of these discussions. There are lessons to be taught everywhere.
Thoughts from AC
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Oh, I suspect the page program will survive – after all, Congresscritters need someone to turn to when it is time for Booty Call (just kidding!) I suspect, though, that there may be a bit more oversight – or else even more rules, which actually may tend to limit the usefullness of the program to the pages/inters (which is the contacts they can make, which will help them in the future.)
As to the Amish girl – what she did isn’t the real ‘heroic’ thing (after all, she might have offered herself up in the hope that it would satisfy the shooter – real noble – or because she didn’t want to have to watch her schoolmates get shot first – not so noble.) What really hit me from this whole thing was how the community came together – and included the shooter’s family in their group, instead of demanding yet another pound of flesh in their desire for revenge. This response IMHO is one that is truly worthy of emulation.
At the same time, though, having this type of discussion with your offspring does tend to leave you with the impression that maybe you haven’t been a complete failure as a parent. I know it does for me.
~EdT.