Being a Good Citizen!

The boys and I enjoyed a day but little to do with 4H for a change.  After all, every day can't be about 4H...I like to make sure the boys are well rounded.  Which brings me to the subject of my post today.

Good Citizenship

What does that mean exactly?

In 4H we do a lot of community service...that sounds like a good citizen...helping to take care of neighbors.

In 4H, we also learn about careers related to our projects...that sounds like being a good citizen also...looking to the future so we can be productive citizens.

But, today we chose to learn about how the election process works!  Mom (that's me!) took her sons (YES! all four of them) into the voting polls today!

I arrived at the early voting polls to find no one else racing in the doors to vote, so I asked if the boys could see the process.  The election judges were glad to have the excitement.   So we went through the steps, explaining as we went along.  Then I voted on the Texas Constitution amendments.  This meant explaining the words used on the ballot and how to use the computer generated ballot.  The boys loved getting to help push the buttons, especially the one that cast my vote! 

I think all parents should take their children along to cast their vote.  Every one's opinion counts.To be a good citizen, you need to be involved in your community.  You need to know what's happening in your community. If you're a good citizen, the community will be a better place to live.  A good citizen must stay informed and take pride in casting their vote.  I want my boys to take responsibility when they are old enough to vote.  The more they see us doing this, the more likely they will do the same when they are old enough.

So today the boys learned a new step to being a good citizen.  Even thought they know I vote, they were able to see the process.  It just makes it a little more real to them.  In fact, one of the boys is still trying to decide how he would have voted and he wants me to read over the amendments again!