Teach Your Children To Vote

by Teresa McEntire | More from this Blogger

08 Nov 2006 02:02 PM

Yesterday I exercised my freedom and voted. All over the country the polls experienced a larger voter turnout than in years. It is a wonderful thing that we have the opportunity to vote for our leaders and choose them and other initiatives based on majority opinion.

I waited in line next to a man and his four-year old daughter. She thought they were going "boating". When I explained that she had to be 18 to vote and that voting was really just choosing who our leaders were she was extremely disappointed. She told her father they needed to go somewhere else to "boat".

As I contemplated this little girls response I realized how many in our country do not take advantage of their right to vote and feel that their voice is not necessary. As parents we have a responsibility to teach our children that their voice does make a difference. Because if the average citizen does not vote then decisions can be left to minority groups that flood the polls in hope of their desires being realized. The entire purpose of voting is for the majority's desires to be met. As I walked away from the polls I felt good knowing that I had exercised my rights and expressed my opinion.

In Idaho, where I live the majority decided to amend our state constitution to officially state that marriage is legal only between a man and a woman. The same amendment was passed in six out of the seven states that also voted on it. While I recognize that there are many that are disappointed with the outcome the fact is that the majority voted. I for one voted for the amendment, because that is what I believe. I believe that children are best raised in a home with a mother and a father. There is a lot of research that backs up that belief. I know that this ideal situation is not always possible. But I feel that the deterioration of society, especially its youth, is a direct result of the lack of father's in many homes across the country.

I hope that you exercised your right to vote and that you will teach your children to do the same. Because if you do not exercise your rights then we will soon be living in a country where the minority rule as the majority sit idly by and allow it to happen.

See related blogs: Marriage Debates: Ballots Banning Same Sex Marriage Election Day May Spell Sweeping Changes to The Insurance Industry

New Jersey, Marriage, Rights, and Effects

Learn more about Teresa McEntire

Teresa McEntire grew up in Utah the oldest of four children. She currently lives in Kuna, Idaho, near Boise. She and her husband Gene have been married for almost ten years.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger