I spoke at a city council meeting last night. I can’t remember the last time I had to speak in front of such a crowd. I will definitely be looking into a public speaking class. I was terrified. When I decided to go to the meeting and speak I knew exactly the points I wanted to make. I googled, researched, and referenced every aspect of what I was going to say. I typed it all out and smiled as it came buzzing off the printer. I folded it neatly into my purse and off to the meeting I went, my husband and child beside me. As the building became standing room only my heart began to race. I started to brainstorm what I was going to say when my name was called to politely dismiss myself form having to speak. I looked over at my daughter sitting next to me. The glow of the tablet on her face, the only thing that kept her from complaining while we were there. I knew I had to speak. The issue at hand was important to me, but more important was this opportunity as a parent to display to my daughter how her existence matters on a higher level than the top of a video game screen shows.
Being a part of a community is more than rallying together when something isn’t going your way. It is understanding, listening, being heard, and yes, compromising. I spoke to my daughter about the issue, about how it affected us as a family and why it was so important to participate and be heard at this meeting. I also spoke to her about the views from the other side because it’s important for her to understand how people are different and want different things. In a community, much like a marriage or relationship, you grow, you change, circumstances change, and each person involved may see things dissimilarly. Each person plays a role in a relationship or in this case community, you try to see the other side, you try to find a way to make it work, and sometimes you stand your ground because this one is just not negotiable. When everyone has a common goal, even by compromising you can achieve victory.
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I hope that my voice was heard, I hope that my concerns and suggestions play a part in the overall outcome. But truly what is most important to me, is that my daughter took away from the experience to have courage, to speak out and contribute, to listen with compassion and that the world she lives in is not just about her.
When we arrived at her school this morning she immediately told the teacher we went to a city council meeting last night. I stood there proudly feeling accomplished. Then she exclaimed, “I was so bored.”
Often in parenting in the midst of trying to teach valuable lessons to your children you actually learn something from them. While my efforts were valiant and I am sure she learned something, one speech in one evening for one issue is not enough. I don’t want to teach her to only care about what matters to her. So get that tablet charged up little one… We are going to learn how to be a valuable member of a community!
