My 9 year old son just took my breath away.

[Pacifist Patriot]

I was in the kitchen heating up some macaroni and cheese for the toddler, a mundane task to say the least. My 9 year old son came up behind me and said, "Mom, you know if Bush would just leave this earth I'd give up my life."

Spoon drops to counter.

I said, "Honey, I don't think that's necessary."

He responded, "But his decisions are costing thousands of lives, aren't they?"

I stuttered.

He said, "Thousands of lives are worth more than just one, right?"

Mom has to leave the room.

I have been very careful around my children and refrained from letting my political views fully vent. I want them to be able to form their own opinions some day and not simply parrot their parents. I honestly do not know where this came from. I'm stunned...and saddened.

[leftofthedial]

1. that's a guaranteed lump in the throat of any parent

what a sense of social justice your son has.

[meganmonkey]

Hell, that's a lump in the throat

of a random, child-free stranger.

And a tear in the eye.

PP has a very sensitive kid. That is a good thing, IMO. Wow.

[Beaverhausen]

30. Mine too

you have raised an amazing son!

[Leftist_Warrior]

36. Are you kidding? I'm appalled. n/t

[Beaverhausen]

37. oh please enlighten me, why are you appalled?

I can't wait to hear this.

[Horse with no Name]

50. me too

:popcorn:

[Pacifist Patriot]

42. Truth be told, so am I.

But I'm wondering what your reasons are.

[wryter2000]

2. Wow

Not being a mother, I don't know how you deal with that. Thank him for his sentiment and tell him how proud you are that he'd offer but tell him the world doesn't work that way?

[sasha031]

3. children are so much more perceptive than most adults

[pitohui]

4. oh that poor thing

kids take so much to heart and young boys often have such a chivalry that it is touching to see

[redqueen]

5. Aww that's so sad.

:(

You should at least explain that this problem is bigger than bush... no matter what happens to him, there will always be another greedy evil person waiting to take his place.

[oblivious]

63. Yes, that must be made clear to him. It's a system. * is just a figurehead

[Auntie Bush]

69. Wouldn't that cause anxiety ?

[Yollam]

6. You should remind him that his life is worth thousands...

...to you.

But that is a noble sentiment.

[sabra]

7. I sense a future leader coming out of your house hold :-)

[DemonGoddess]

8. It sounds like your son

is a precocious but THINKING small individual. Yes, what he said was sad, but by the same token, it's something to be proud of that he can think and reason like this already without prompting from you.

[Katherine Brengle]

9. Don't be sad, be proactive. >

That your son is perceptive enough at his age to have any political feelings at all is impressive to say the least. If he is interested, it might be better to educate him, as well as you can, about political issues he shows an interest in.

As far as his utilitarian comment about thousands of lives being worth more than one, try talking to him about it. I think you can make him understand that the sanctity of human life is very important, and one is just as important as all of the others.

It'll be okay--he just caught you off guard.

[roguevalley]

10. altruism and empathy in a child that young. very wonderful boy,

that one. Hug him for me. Tell him someone loves him in Alaska.

[laruemtt]

14. and give him one from

st. lucia too. what a wonderful little boy.

[VaYallaDawg]

11. "Out of the mouths of the children ..." But still, that gives me shivers.

[applegrove]

12. Sounds like your son has a great deal of empathy. He knows what

"love" means.

[Dr Fate]

16. Okay- I get it- your glass is "half-full"

I dont always agree with you- but that positive symbol is pretty neat- and an insight into your views...thanks

[applegrove]

27. By "love" - I mean love in all its forms. Pretty advanced for a kid to

understand sacrifice for community. That is a pretty advanced form of love. I mean - agewise. There are so many kinds...yes?

Sorry if the "" mislead.

[Dr Fate]

28. I was refering to your wine-glass image- but your text was great too.

I thought it meant "half full" as opposed to "half empty"

I'm a "symbol minded" person!

[applegrove]

31. Sorry. I'm the queen of vague in my writing. I cannot help it. So I

assumed.

Yes the wine glass. I like looking at a half full glass cause it implies I've had a little bit - even when I have not. Trust me. I was only thinking wine - not optimism of pessimism. Though perhaps it was unconscious. And then you interpret it your way.

Funny how when we cannot read each other's non-verbal communication on the web. Why we use symbols.

And how that only helps a few percentage points in clarifying.

[MuseRider]

13. Stunning and guaranteed to cause

you to stop short!

Don't worry, they will form their own opinions. Parroting parents becomes very uncool but my guess is he won't stray far, it sounds like he already understands how one person can make a difference. That is pretty cool even though it was voiced in this way.

[kstewart33]

15. You have a wonderful son.

And a brave and very smart son. It looks like a good talk with him is in order. I don't know what I would say to my oldest daughter (who's 10) if she had said that.

IMHO, I'd probably talk about how we all have a responsibility to make a positive difference in the world with our own life, but not with our death.

Bush has done so much damage in so many ways. Good luck in talking with your son.

[BOSSHOG]

17. Let me vent

Your son is a brave trooper but in thousands (millions) of homes all across our country just the opposite is occuring. "Conservatives" are indoctrinating their children to hate in the name of Jesus Christ. To hate liberals and progressives and secular humanists and homosexuals and job stealing minorities. "Conservatives" are dyed in the wool, pure evil and they conscientiously pass it on to their children.

Best of luck to you and your son. I hope you both live long and productive lives.

On a totally unrelated note: Put two shakes of tabasco (or other hot) sauce into that macaroni and cheese. Zips up the taste and capsaicin is a good cancer fighter.

[Maru Kitteh]

24. Yes, and you will need a cancer fighter in a dish full of cheese

cholesterol
growth hormones
pus
saturated fat

But back to the subject - good on the little one. Isn't it AMAZING how perceptive and insightful 9 year olds can be?

[AzDar]

18. My son is 9 also. He DESPISES Bush. He has always had an overly-

developed sense of right and wrong... to the point where I have to watch what is said because he'll worry that there are people sleeping under a bridge near his Dad's office, and he'll wake me in the night to ask me 'WHY'?? (usually with his face 2 inches from mine; scares me to death. lol).
Your sweet little man..that breaks my heart.
It is also an indication (IMHO) that you're raising a fine human being, if that helps at all.

[Pacifist Patriot]

20. LOL! You brought back a memory.

When my son was about six he woke me up in the middle of the night to ask me why the new "Neighborhood Market" (Walmart, blech!) had to cut down all the trees on the corner of a nearby intersection to build a grocery store when there was already a Publix on the opposite corner.

Scared the beejesus out of me.

[Cha]

55. Budding Environmentalist!

:)

[peekaloo]

19. Good lord don't let Rove hear him say that.

"9 year old would give life for Bu$h" would be every CM hoo-er's headline.

*attempt at levity*

Sounds like a sweet and wise little man you have.

:hug:

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. LOL! Thanks. I needed that.

[xultar]

22. WOW, from the mouths of innocents

O8)

[Name removed]

23. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MindPilot]

25. Not to worry, some patriotic teacher will make sure he is

handed over to the Secret Service.

That is pretty amazing thing for your apparently very bright and insightful kid to say. Kudos to both you and the boy; you is raisin' him right!:applause:

[Pacifist Patriot]

41. At the risk of opening myself up to some flames of elitism...

we homeschool. :)

[LeftyMom]

45. Elitist!

Sorry, I had to do it. :rofl:

[WinkyDink]

26. Awesome social conscience.

[laylah]

29. You MUST be a

wonderful mother to have such an insightful child, as painful as it may be at times. :hug:

Jenn

[DemonGoddess]

32. Yep. You keep up the good work

doing what you do, and raising your children the way you are. OUTSTANDING!

[donheld]

33. Stunning!

You've taught your son to love his country, you should be proud. That your son has come to this so young should shame our leaders one and all.

[dogday]

34. My little girl parrots my view about the shrub

I have to watch what I say, cause she said the other day "Bush Suxs"....

[seabeyond]

35. I'm stunned...and saddened.............. and proud

hey. i have ten and 8 myself. i am the same as you. my boys have to give me their reasoning, not allowed to just adopt my belief. my boys have been getting bush in their school oh, since about 2002. that would put my oldest in 2nd grade, around 7. kids are hearing a lot. my 5th grader was studying the supreme court on the day of alito filibuster. of course i had to let him know what was up, so he would be prepared when he was in class.

the kids, though we want them to stay young, they were 4, 5, 6 with 9/11 and all that has happened since. they didnt have a choice but to jump in. i feel it is more healthy to allow the kids to become informed, explore thought, go over things instead of pretending all these fears arent there. they also know that we are secure and it is our job to take care of them and ALWAYS respectful towards all people. that includes bush. i accept nothing less. the art of being honest, respectfully.

anyway...... i tell the boys. this isnt a lesson for us, but it is a lesson our nation needs to experience right now, in order to heal

also, my kids were in a private fundie school until nov 2004. they got it from fundie rw postion. we have to talk about it. i pulled news out of house in spring 2004.... and still so much, all the time, bringing it home from school

[notadmblnd]

38. Don't be sad.. be proud of your son

he's going to grow into a good manhe bot sees and feels other peoples pain. It's amazing what our kids pick up from us just through osmosis isn't it? My son is 12, he warns me not to be to vocal politicaly, fears I'll be dragged off in chains. I wonder, can he feel it coming?

[Chipper Chat]

39. Is Britney Spears losing her influence?

Didn't she say in F911 that we should back our president no matter what - just because he is the president?" (She said this while chomping gum of course).

[blm]

40. What a true example of selfless patriotism.

Knee-droppingly remarkable.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

43. Tell him to channel his feelings....

...into activism. ;)

My generation needs more people like him, who know what they think, and will know what they want. We're altogether too wishy-washy for my comfort.

WIMR

[MakeItSo]

44. I try to spare my kids much frank talk about the world today

Nine seems awful young to get so heavy about stuff. You're only a kid for a few years. They really AREN'T little adults and it's appropriate not to level with them on all the crap going down in the world today. They deserve emotional protection. I don't know what the right age is, however. And I will admit to talking about Dante's Inferno while watching a few minutes of President Dimwit's State of Disunion speech. My kid was happy to tell mom the next morning that we were saying the word "hell."

[WritingIsMyReligion]

52. LOL

I agree that nine is young, and I don't mean for him to take a full immersion course in the fucked-up state of our world. I was just saying.... That energy will be able to be well-channeled someday. ;)

[Raster]

46. Out of the mouths of babes... sometimes the youngest among us make

the most sense. Once you abandon the hype and rhetoric, it doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to see that bush* and bushco* have been nothing but negative to our country, our planet and our species.

[pecwae]

47. An awesome child!

Speaking as a mom it would have made me proud, yet frightened at the same time.

[jeannicot]

48. Let a kid be a kid

He seems to care about politics way too much, more than any kids his age should.

[Pacifist Patriot]

57. No, I don't think it's politics.

I'm not sure where he got this but I don't think it's necessarily political.

[Beausoir]

62. I'll say.

I find this story far from heartwarming.

If my 9 year old son said something like that to me I would be very concerned about what kind of message I had been sending to him.

Children must not be used as political footballs. Let the kid be a kid.

[Pacifist Patriot]

64. No kidding. I think I mentioned I was bothered by it.

I do not involve my children in politics. I was blind-sided. I whole-heartedly believe in letting kids be kids. This is disturbing to me.

[Beausoir]

67. Did not mean to cast blame. You sound as mortified as I would be.

I understand your reaction to this.

I also have a 9 year old son and if he ever said something like that I would be shocked and very worried about him.

Where is he getting these ideas? Who is he hanging around? What is he watching on tv?

It's hard to decipher sometimes, just where they pick up this stuff, but it's definitely worth tryng to track this one down.

[Pacifist Patriot]

72. Well he's not suicidal so that's some comfort.

Honestly, I think the idea came from a church kids program he's been attending once a month. He's mentioned "Jesus as sacrifice" a bit lately. Maybe he thought it was a Christ-like idea. I really don't know. I confess though, as a non-Christian I find the sacrificial thought unnerving anyway.

[babydollhead]

49. my 12 year old son and his pals...

confessed to yanking * election signs out of peoples yards. My daughter found a * Ken doll and said they would protest his inaugurational drive through Barbie town. She had watched the SS run next to his motorcade and could tell that nobody was protesting in sight. She smiled at the doll as she held him, and hissed, "Fuckers..." I was stunned. All of my kids delighted in hearing us roar with laughter during the debates.

[pilgrimsoul]

51. My heart both breaks and swells to read this

No child should have to feel this way about his country's president. Your son's willingness to sacrifice himself is both humbling and sad. He should not have to bear the emotional burden of such upsetting adult matters. I wish the world were at peace so that he could truly enjoy his childhood without worrying about the world he will inherit when he becomes a man. I wish our democratic leadership had a fraction of the courage and conviction of your remarkable son. Thank you for raising such a wonderful human being. What an intelligent, empathic little boy. He sounds like a future Patrick Fitzgerald. Children like yours are truly the hope of the world.

[kryckis]

53. Tell him...

...Bush isn't worth it.

You can't make a difference in death like you can in life.

[lostnfound]

66. "You can't make a difference in death like you can in life."

What a great statement, very true, elegantly put.

[Bluerthanblue]

74. contrary to Shakespear, and in line with

with MLKjr's beautiful image in the post that followed,
"the evil that men do live after them, the good is oft interred with the bones"-

Is trumped by the message that MLK,Gandhi and Jesus spoke and lived.

Even in death, THEY continue to 'make a difference'-

Would that PP's son was president.-

What greater love than this, than to be WILLING to lay down your life for a friend-?

Your son, is a beautiful soul, and this world is the better for children such as him.
I have a 12yr old with the same heart. And while it is painful to watch him grow, and feel-
OH, how grateful I am that our children have not hardend themselves to love- especial with all this "macho" and "bullying" shit they are bombarded with-

Strong men, have tender hearts.
huggs to you both
blu

[kryckis]

75. Of course..

..but I'm pretty sure MLK, Gandhi and such would be even more useful if they were still alive.

All I'm saying is it's too easy to wish for something that is never going to happen anyway than it is to actually make a difference in the reality we have to deal with. Maybe that should be said to this kid and others with similar thoughts.

[Cha]

54. It just made me

cry because there is such an intense sweetness and lack of ego in your son's statement.

Some people are so sensitive to their environment and their world.

The adults need to do Something about bush and his management company so the kids don't feel they have to worry about it!

[leftchick]

56. fear not and be proud

your child has an enormous sense of empathy for a nine year old. He is also very observant of injustice. The combination is something to nurture and cherish.

peace to all of you,
lc

[hopeisaplace]

58. Your son gives me hope

thank you.

[buddysmellgood]

59. Wow.

[FreedomAngel82]

60. Aw

:( I wish more people could see all the damage Bush is doing. :(

[usregimechange]

61. from the mouths of babes

[Greyhound]

65. It is so blatant that a 9 year old gets it, why don't so many "adults"?n/t

[NMMNG]

68. I say we kick Chimpy out and put your son in his place!

:cry:

[LeahD]

70. Bless his heart....a gift to this world.

[Tsiyu]

71. Welcome to your own spawn of Patriot DNA

We are the sons and daughters of brave people who came before us. Some of us have more of it coursing through our veins than others.

Your child took MY breath away and he also gives me hope. :hug:

[ktlyon]

73. His unselfish caring makes me cry

love him

[DarkmoonIkonoklast]

76. Oh, sister! (hug!) I KNOW that hurt (been there, still doing that!)...

... but be proud that your son isn't blind or a fool... You've done something right for sure! and give my love and hugs as well to your budding Thomas Paine, as well as plenty more of both from my (19 to 13) pack of rebels!