Why are we surprised?

This is not a hateful note, but a simple observation I made while drifting off to sleep this last week. So I ask that before you even begin, please keep an open mind and keep reading. Also, no, I did not vote for Trump.

So. Let's begin. When did you first hear about Trump? I think I must have been in high school when the show Apprentice first started. I can't imagine any other reason I would have heard about him as my parents didn't allow my sisters and I to watch Access Hollywood, or anything on MTV. Nor did my parents subscribe to any magazines so my knowledge of celebrities, or of the rich and the famous, was limited to the movies I saw in theaters with friends and the shows they talked about watching.

How old were you then when your first heard his name? Did you grow up watching MTV as so many kids in the 90's did? Did you love watching Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous? Did you gobble up the gossip in People, Cosmo, Seventeen, or US magazines? When did Donald Trump first hit your radar?

As we should all know by now, Donald Trump did not make his fortune, he inherited it. The American media and it's people however, don't really care how an individual gets rich, as long as the rich becomes famous and gives us all something, or someone, to watch. 'Please sir, show us around your yacht. What does your mansion look like? Who is your decorator? You just divorced your wife b/c you were unfaithful?! Amazing, tell us more.'

Trump has been in our newspapers, magazines, TVs, computers, and now phones for decades. He has been making headlines about his money, multiple marriages, failed and corrupt businesses, and mistreatment of women for DECADES. Yet this country has been eating up this gossip with glee. Our country loves watching scandals.

So why are we surprised that Trump ran for president? Why are we surprised no one stopped him? Why are we surprised he is now President-elect? Yes, most of us in this country didn't vote for him. Yes, many are scared. No it's not a third party's fault. There really should be more parties represented and given options to run for president than just two. Seriously, let's be practical. Donald Trump is President-elect because he has been invading our homes for years. This country has been showering him with attention for, well honestly, for about as long as I've been alive. His name has been common and known by most people for longer than most of the country has known who Barrack Obama is. (Shocking right? Let's pause and let that one sink in a bit)

Hmmm. Wow, it's like 20 years ago Trump was famous and followed like Kim Kardashian is now.....

OK, now consider everything I've just said. Are you still really surprised? I'm not. I'm saddened. I personally am not pleased with the outcome of the election. I wasn't really too hot about the year leading up to it either. I'm not thrilled with the process of our government. Many parts of our government are out of date including the Electoral vote. If, my vote was to count, and my voice was important, why then was it not given to the individual I voted for? It was ignored and cast aside because a majority of those in my state/area voted for Trump. This is one of the many issues I've been pondering lately. These are the types of things infuriating many. I've been trying to not get down and out about it. I've been trying to keep my head cool. It doesn't always work, especially when I think about my kids and how their futures may be affected. Sitting around doing nothing though does no good. What's the use of moping, whining, complaining, fuming? There is no point. It only fuels the flame of pain and anger. That's not what we need. We need peace and love. We need patience and understanding. So what am I going to do to make the world a better place? What do you care about? What are you going to do?

"You can be anything!"

The other day I was cleaning the play room and I was stopped by Babycake's dress-up clothes. A super-girl cape, princess dress, a construction worker's hat, and a doctor's outfit. Since the day Babycake was born we've told her she can be anything she wants. I was so touched by the realization that we not only tell her she can be anything, but we encourage it in play and life. At the age of two, she came up with a little song, all her own, about being anything you want. "You can be anything! You can be anything! You can be a doctor, or a nurse, or a teacher, or a prince or princess! You can fly in space like an astronaut too! You can be anything you want to be!" The occupations may change every other rendition, but the message is always the same.

My husband and I are not the type of parents who sugar coat the idea that simply because our child wants something, she will get it. We tell her that if you want something you must work for it, and sometime it can be hard. Of course this concept of working for want you want means very little at the moment when she can simply imagine flying, and to her, she is.

In a time when so many more parents are worried about the futures of their children due to recent events I will not mention more than say elections, I've found myself drawn into the worry as well. Will our daughters be told that they are not worthy of being great, that they should be in the kitchen, that they will never be anything but a pretty face?

No, our daughters will be fine. We parents are worried about these things because we care. Because we care, we will make sure to give our children every opportunity possible to achieve more than we. My dream for my children is that they become better people than me. I myself am a good person, but I want them to be great. I want them to be healthy in mind, body, and spirit. I want them to have the serenity to accept the things they can not change, the courage to change the things they can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I wish this for myself everyday but do not always succeed, I hope my children will be able to do this with ease.

My child's life in play- she can be anything.