Dawn of a New Day

Sometimes our kids have a better sense of the future than we do. While pregnant with my second daughter last year, my then four-year-old asked "what color do you think my sister will be when she's born"? After a chuckle or two, I realized it was a perfectly good and innocent question. Isabella's closest friends at school were Asian-American and African-American. In her world, skin color was just that...a color. She hadn't yet learned about the civil rights movement. She knew nothing about the struggles women and people of different races have encountered in the history of this country.

With that thought in mind, I also remember the moment my husband said "there's talk this guy will be our next president", referring to then Senator Barack Obama giving a keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Excited as I felt about the notion, I had my reservations about how far we had really come as a nation.

I just want to take a moment today to say "you were right" to my husband (he rarely ever hears that phrase pass my lips!). He entered the voting booth with our daughter last November, as many of our friends did too, because it was her future he was betting on. He let her pull the lever so she could one day say "I voted for Barack Obama". Today is the dawn of a new day for all our children. Thank you President Obama for breaking down barriers and proving that we have come farther than I thought I'd ever see in my lifetime. Here's to hope, change and the chance for all our kids to see their dreams come true.

This is an original post to NYC Moms Blog. Jennifer also blogs about the search for balance at The Daily Juggle and The Mama Chronicles —where you'll even find ideas to solve the "what's for dinner" dilemma.