Through the Eyes of our Daughters

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, with my daughter, son and husband in tow, I proudly cast my vote for the first female President of the United States, Hillary Clinton. A few weeks ago, I tried to explain the election to Cece. I showed her a picture of President Obama, the First Lady Michelle, their daughters, and the White House. I tried a few things to explain these things, but then resorted to using the words "like a King and Queen" a few times. Because, let's face it, unfortunately our little girls are presented with castles, princes and princesses at her age more than just about anything else. And those are words Cece understands. I let her process all that and then I told her that everyone was getting ready to choose a new leader, a President, and we had an important choice to make. I knew I wasn't going to go deep with her, so I just showed her a picture of the two main candidates. She asked me what their names were. And then, almost immediately, she told me she wanted "the girl" to win. I had to smile.

Obviously, during that first conversation, Cece picked Hillary because she was a woman. This did not surprise me because we talk about women a lot. We talk about Girl Power. We talk about smart girls. We talk about strong girls. We talk about bravery. We talk about hard work. We talk about perseverance. We talk about kindness. After that first conversation with Cece, we talked about how all of these words apply to her. And then I told her about how they also apply to Hillary. I told her about how long she has been working and what she has been working for. I also told her she was working for something no other girl had ever achieved before. I do believe those words left an impression.

And so yesterday, we voted. We carried with us our hopes and dreams to the voting booth - that in Hillary Clinton and her historic run for the Presidency of the United States of America, our daughter would see that the when there are no more ceilings, and the sky is the limit.

And then she lost. It was a crushing experience telling Cece the news this morning. There were tears and scrunched up faces. But not from her. From Cece, there was a low, soft reply, "oh, noooo."  And then, "next time, mommy". Yes, Cece. Next time.

And even though she didn't win, there is so much to learn from Hillary. The glass ceiling hasn't been broken, but someday, hopefully soon, it will be. Cece for President, 2056? =)

"And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams." - Hillary Rodham Clinton, 11/9/16