I've gotten close to a neighbor's children, because they see me garden and come over and want to talk to me while I work. We talk about growing things, plants and animals, and their sweet dog. With their parents I'm neighborly-but we are not friends, which is not unusual in this city neighborhood.
This is a very religious, church going (Catholic) family. They seem to be Republicans because last month their eight year old son commented on my Elizabeth Warren window sign and said that his parents "don't like her" nor do the like Obama either. Then both of them peppered me with questions about why I like Warren and Obama. The older one said they had been talking about in school as well and they had all voted for President there and Obama had won. I just gave my honest, personal views without putting their parent's views down. Circumstances like this can be hard for me because I dearly love all children and see them as their own people and the future of our country, as well as being "other people's" children and not my business at all. I worked hard to be very brief as well as being respectful of the parents -I escaped indoors as soon as I could.
This boy (the older child) is a beautiful human being...one of those with seemingly innate emotional intelligence and caring -I saw him stand up for a child that was being bullied even though he's not super outgoing himself. He is very tender with animals and has a lot of friends. He is just gifted that way-sunny, agreeable, and sensitive.
Last Sunday afternoon this child wandered over and asked me, kind of teasingly, if I wanted to know what he prayed for at church. So I nodded.
He then told me "I prayed that Obama wins so he stays our President. I've liked him all along and I don't like the other guy". (!!) The he ran home.
I was speechless.
We are in Massachusetts so I am sure I'm not the only one who may have rubbed off on him, and he had that experience in school too. Yet, it Seems like, at eight, he made up his own mind from what he's hearing around him and the fact that he sees our President and trusts him. He is so young to even entertain an opinion that is different from his parents'.
I"ve always found him to be a very perceptive child.
Kinda have to tip toe around this one with my neighbors though.