Pledge
I have had people cast judgement about my choice to educate & engage my children in federal, provincial and city politics (in an age appropriate manner), but as you know by now, I am a freethinker. I don't feed into fearmongering and I feel quite proud that my kids know and understand enough to have a healthy debate of their own when issues in our city or our community arise. That said, I didn't really bat an eye when agreeing to attend to a political campaign launch recently and I school my youngest in the evening, so this just meant she would also be attending. I had a quick chat with her about behaviour and then need to sit quietly and listen, so my guess is she was probably dreading every minute in the lead up to the launch, but we had some doodle books on hand which helped. She sat quietly and attentively, taking in all of the sights, sounds and stories. She perked up when she was clear about a point, glanced at me to check in that she understood it correctly and when I smiled knowingly, she applauded enthusiastically. She caught the good, the bad and the ugly and missed out on a few big words and unnecessary filler. When it came time to discuss campaign support (signs, voluntary hours and money), they began calling out the amounts beginning at $750 (the maximum for an individual to donate to a campaign) and explained the process/rebate the city offers in return for this generous support. Can I hear $750? Anyone in the room want to start the evening off with a contribution of $750? Then, up like a flash, there is my kids, hand flailing about,she is sold! $750!! If you are holding your breath wondering how the hell I handled that, you might be surprised to find that she gazed up at me with bright eyes and looking for a sign of approval that is exactly what she got. For me, this was the ultimate in proud parenting moments and cooler still? She's been hailed a community leader at the age of 7. What an incredible boost to a previously shattered esteem. This is the same kid who at the age of 5 used to school her SK teachers about all the reasons Toronto needed to "Evict Rob Ford". Hell, even she knew better than most adults at the time. She seems to have developed some anxiety around being front and centre (*fingers crossed* for a complete recovery on this one!), but there used to be a time where she'd engage people about all the reasons she'd be a better mayor. Side note: My teen sent a flurry of texts at 9pm when she got off work, to ask how the campaign launch went, sad that she missed it and keen to talk about how she could get involved over the summer months. Love these kids. And finally, did you know that the City of Toronto has a Contribution Rebate Program allowing contributors to claim a rebate from the City for contributions made to mayor and councillor candidates in an election? Have a read!