Toddler at the Polls: I Voted!

In Leo's not-quite-two years on this earth he has been to the polls to vote with us five times; The first when he was just two days old.

It's important to us that he sees us participating in the political process and we hope to instill a strong sense of civic duty.  After all, what would be the point of all those rallies and protests we take him to if we didn't exercise our voice on election day?

This week was Pennsylvania's turn to vote in this year's primaries and Leo was more engaged than ever in the voting process.  He is able to help us push buttons, recognize the names of several candidates, and afterwards he proudly pointed to his sticker and told everyone "I voted!"

I know he's still not able to understand the complexities of democracy (although I wouldn't be surprised if he's explaining the electoral college by 2016) - but it is really neat to watch him absorb more and more with each passing election.  It's also nice to have the poll workers recognize him and make a fuss about how big he's getting.

I hope all the pieces come together for him in a meaningful and personal way.  And if someday his views are different than ours, I hope I can be proud that we taught him how to think critically and independently about the issues facing our country and community.  I will at least try really, really hard to see it that way.