Give your values voice: Vote!!

(Cross posted both to / from Nashville Mothers Acting Up and Ms. Booty Homemaker Explains It All To You.)

If you haven't yet done so, please exercise your civic responsibility and give your values a voice by voting.

If your traveling sideshow of children and others isn't being hosted or supervised by volunteer mamas, school or another caregiver, consider taking your child(ren) with you to vote.

Yes, the lines may be long, but there's so much to take in, from neighbors you don't see often enough to ingraining the process and the importance of same early on.

Both my Mister and I hit the polls this morning here in East Nashville-- our thirteen month old came along for the experience and I am so glad he did, even though we waited for over an hour to mark our ballots.

One of our most powerful parenting responsibilities is instilling in our children the spirit of acting on values and following one's moral compass. As Mothers (and Others) Acting Up, we're in for the long haul. Leading the next wave onward by example and immersion in community is critical to the growth of the world we want our smallest citizens to inherit and inhabit.

We call for just and accurate representation!

As family and community leaders, with our partners, neighbors and tribes, we have a big job ahead of us with election day coming tomorrow.

No matter which way you look at it, we have a lot to invest in, and foremost we must create the language to speak of our Mother Agenda 'til it becomes Mother Tongue easy.

What does that mean in the practical sense? Read up on the candidates in your area. Check out the scorecards for how folks vote, and let your values speak as you pull the lever. And once the votes are tallied, consider writing letters of congratulations AND accountability to your representatives to let them know that healthcare, peace and an end to poverty are critical to our childrens' wellbeing. In 2008, these issues must be at the very top of the Mother Agenda, in which we will all be conversant. You betcha.

As to tomorrow, it is said that one of the principle keys to the elections this year and tipping the balance of what values play themselves out is married moms. That's a lot of us. Nancy over at Muckraking Mom points to this Steve & Cokie Roberts article.

If you didn't participate in early voting and think it might be difficult to get to the polls with your wee ones in tow, consider following the lead of Charleston, South Carolina MAUs who will have two homes open for childcare so that mamas share the load, build the tribe and act on their civil and domestic responsibilities with care and mindfulness. Brilliant, gals.

If any of you readers come up with other practical or clever ways to impact our voice, holler.

Soon...