Yes, Madame President

Yesterday I unexpectedly had a chat with Emma about same sex marriage. It might be more accurate to say that she had a chat with me. I generally try to avoid initiating any conversations about these emotionally charged social issues with my children when they're so young. Life is complicated enough when you're trying to work out why a turtleneck jumper isn't the best thing to wear over your bathing suit when you're going to the beach. But, of course, anytime they have questions for me, I am happy (usually) to answer them as age-appropriately as possible.

Last week, for example, at the Methodist holiday club, several of the youth leaders were shocked by how "in-the-know" Emma was about my pregnancy. Apparently most 7-year-olds don't know about breech presentation and hemorrhoids and such, but we talk at our house... especially Emma... about everything.

So back to the whole Prop 8 issue... It's funny. None of us batted an eyelash when Sophie was running around the house recently singing the wrong lyrics to that Katy Perry song: "I kissed a squirrel, and I liked it!" I decided it was best to leave well enough alone on that one. The girls also haven't had a lot of contact with gay friends of ours mainly because our social lives have dulled considerably since we've had the kids... and our best gay pals are back in the States. I just naively assumed the concept of homosexuality had never occurred to my children and that we would cross that bridge when a logical opportunity arose.

Yesterday Emma was sitting at the kitchen counter drawing a picture and said to me, "Mom? Did you know that a man can marry another man?"

"Yes," I answered, "In some places they can."

"I've seen it on TV, on a wedding show," She replied (leave it to Peter Perfect), "Do you mean that in some places a man CAN'T marry a man?"

"Yes."

"Can they do it in Wales?"

"Yes."

"Can they do it in Kentucky?"

"I'm pretty sure they canNOT do it in Kentucky."

"WHAT!??" Emma was obviously bothered, "Why not?? Isn't it against the law to tell people they can't marry who they want?"

...Thus began our discussion about politics. By the end of it Emma had decided she was going to grow up and become the President of the United States and change that law. She came up with this all on her own since I had no intention of trying influence her opinion on this particular issue. A psychic (not Dionne Warwick) once told us that Emma would grow up to be a very influential leader. Yes, perhaps he told every mom that about her child, but she's already got those aspirations. I am thinking: "You go, girl!" Someone who likes to talk and argue as much as she does might be destined for a career in law or politics. Several weeks ago, she told me she wanted to be the "ruler of Kentucky" so that she could outlaw the sale of cigarettes there. Those cigarettes are making her grandfather unhealthy and shops shouldn't be allowed to sell things that hurt people. (We later discussed that the actual job title would be "Governor of Kentucky" rather than "ruler.") Luckily she has several years to tweak her ideas about civil liberties and the role of government, but those wheels are turning!