I'm almost 37 years old and I watched my first inauguration this week. My children, ages 8, 10, and 12 watched too. We did not watch it for the sole reason of being Democrats, although that very much helped our moods in watching it. We watched because it was the kind of thing I want them to see and experience.
As their homeschool teacher this school year, I am in charge of their education. Before Wednesday, I couldn't have told you what an inauguration was like or what it involved other than the President-elect and VP being sworn in. Wednesday was a big day for my homeschool kids.
They watched the CBS news coverage beginning at 7 a.m. They researched the promises made by the VP and President-elect before they were sworn in. They sang along with the Star Spangled Banner. They researched how an inauguration that didn't happen in a pandemic would be. They requested to go to an inauguration someday. They asked when we could go back to DC to explore. They took in the words spoken by each person at the podium and understood their importance.
It was a remarkable day and one they cannot stop talking about. I heard them telling their homeschool check-in person all about it, their friends, talking about it in-depth at lunch time and on breaks. My homeschoolers have lived through A LOT of important history in the last year and have watched it all unfold, the good and the bad. They've learned so much more than I could hope for and I have learned right along with them. I'm ending this week as a proud parent and thankful for the opportunities homeschooling this year has provided us.
This was the point I cried and the minis decided to take a break from the news coverage. They watched a bit of the coverage at Arlington and walking to the White House. Later that evening, we watched the inauguration special.