Or maybe "still" would be the appropriate title? I'm also quibbling with the word "marching" because we actually didn't make it to the real marching--we listened to a few speeches and then walked about half a block. Then the kiddos were ready to go home for a snack, so we did.
My uncertainty about the title of this post matches up with my uncertainty about protest marches in general, I think. Getting it out there and getting it right feels important to me, but I'm still not naturally comfortable at it.
Which is part of why I took the kids to the women's march in Lawrence this year. Because I want them to understand that it's something that you do. When you're upset with your government or your society or at the way people are being treated where you live--you say something. I want that to be more natural for them than it is for me.
So we talked about it for a few days beforehand. About girls still not having all the same opportunities that boys do. About what I think is wrong about the way our president treats women and people with different colored skin. About how it's important to help people who are sick or need a hand.
The Kid is getting old enough that it's sometimes hard to answer his questions in an age appropriate manner, but I stumble through. And while I sometimes have to say, "I can't really answer that question right now", when it comes down to it, it's usually not that hard to put it in terms he can understand. He knows that it's not OK to touch someone who doesn't want to be touched or to treat someone badly because they're different from you.
And Little Miss. She has this awesome RBG shirt that she's (sadly) outgrowing, and it's funny to me how surprised people are when they ask her who is on her shirt and she proudly lisps back "Ruth Bader Ginsburg". Absolutely no shade intended here, but if your kid knows the names of all twenty Disney princesses, she can easily remember a Supreme Court justice or a few notable women from history, I promise you. You just have to make it a good story. (We like these books, if you're looking for a place to start.)
To the broader point, though, even at three, Little Miss can grasp the idea of girls being smart and strong and brave. Lord knows she's going to need all of those qualities, so it's better to start talking about them and praising them and living them right now.
So we talked a lot, made some signs--their words, my bad bubble lettering...and spelling, OMG, I just realized I left out an "L" *facepalm*--and then we were there, at the Women's March in Lawrence. Was it again? Still? Marching? Clumsily shoving a stroller through a crowd and trying not to run over anyone's toes? I'm not sure. I don't think we'll ever get this all perfect, but we're going to keep at it just the same.