Election Day 1992 was the only time that I could remember my bedtime being up for debate. I was really into that election…well, as much as any third-grader could be. Ever since I saw Bill Clinton play the sax on Opera, I was hooked. I even wrote a letter to the White House after he was elected because I was heart-broken when I lost my Clinton-Gore pin; come the following November, I received a Christmas card from the man himself (I still believe in Santa Claus and I still believe the President signs all his own Christmas cards–don’t kill the dream).
Anyway…my dad was all about me being allowed to stay up until the election was called. My mom, probably rightly, thought this was a terrible thing to do for an eight-year-old. So I sulked to bed a mere 30 minutes past my regular bedtime. Hours later, I don’t remember the exact time but I do remember my dad sneaking into my room to give me the good news.
This year was similar in that I grudgingly met my self-imposed bedtime of 8:30pm (when John takes the little un for a few hours), making John promise to wake me when there was any news. I, however, refused to rouse when John invited me to join him for President Obama’s acceptance speech, in favor of 10 more minutes of sleep. My state of mind during the midnight feeding was dramatically improved as news of Wisconsin, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington state rolled in.
This election was the first in which I actually voted at a polling center (I had previously voted absentee) and, of course, it was Aurelia’s first time at a polling center ever. After John got home from work, we braved the weather and all walked over to the local elementary together. I wanted to document the event (below) but, in the spirit of democracy and a supportive family dynamic, would also like to note that this is not to imply anything about Aurelia’s political leanings. Three weeks old, and she’s already made it quite clear that she has a mind of her own.
anna in med school 