Welcome, President Obama

by Sally

Tomorrow is the Inauguration of the next President of the United States. I am happy that Barack Obama will be our President. I believe that he is intelligent, thoughtful, deliberate, and will surround himself by smart advisors who will challenge and improve his thinking. I know he will reach out to the right and work to bridge the widening gap between conservatives and liberals. I worry about the state of our economy, our involvement in conflict around the world, and the diminishing moral standards of popular culture, but I think President Obama will be a good leader through these challenges.

I plan to use the Inauguration as an opportunity to teach my children more about the Federal government's structure and the demands of the Presidency. We will have a family night tonight with a short lesson about President Obama and his family, and what his job will be. We'll also talk about how we voted (they went to the polls with us) and their efficacy and responsibility as future voters and as citizens of the US. Last, we will talk about MLK day, which is today.

Tomorrow my oldest child will be watching the Inauguration at school, and the rest of us will be watching at home. Here's some information if you are thinking, like me, that this is a great chance to teach your children.

Family night Outline (mostly in question form to keep the kids involved):

• Tomorrow is the Inauguration. What is an Inauguration? What will happen there?
  
  
• Who was our last President? Who is going to be the new President?
  
  
• What do you know about Barack Obama? He is married and has two daughters who are 10 and 7 years old. They will live in the White House in Washington, D.C. Mom and Dad have visited the White House. What do you think it would be like to live there?
  
  
• What does the President do? Would you like to be President someday? Or work in the Government? Mom worked on Capitol Hill when she was in college.
  
  
• How did Barack Obama get to be President?
  
  
• Where did we go when we voted? How old do you have to be to vote? Should everyone vote or is it okay to stay home and not vote? What if people stopped voting? Mom and Dad always vote. Will you vote every time when you grow up?
  
  
• Do you know what holiday is today? Who was MLK and why was he special? What does he have in common with President Obama?
  
  
• We will end with a prayer that the President will turn to God for guidance and will be inspired to make the right decisions as he leads our country.
  
  
• Then, if the kiddos are lucky, we may watch the "Kid's Inaugural: We are the Future" concert, which will be broadcast on the Disney Channel tonight (8:00 Eastern/7:00 Pacific)

The first Capitol Inauguration

Inauguration Day:

• Nickelodeon will be showing short clips during the day of the Inauguration and a youth perspective.
• The Inauguration starts at 11:30 E/8:30 Pacific and will be broadcast on all major networks.
• 2:30 PM/11:30 Pacific is the start of the Parade.
• There are all kinds of galas and balls in the evening. There is a Youth Inaugural Ball which will be on MTV, but I detest MTV so we won't be watching that. The Neighborhood Inaugural Ball will be broadcast on ABC.

Related links:

Today is also a National Day of Service, in honor of MLK. Go here to enter your zip code and get local opportunities to participate.

Pictures and information from the US Senate on the Inauguration process and Inaugurations past.

For older kids: NPR story on the Oath of Office.

Youtube video (1:45) with pictures of the President from his childhood and including his family.