Speechless

There has been such an uproar about President Obama speaking to "the youth" of America. I think it's a great idea..stay in school, work hard, do your best, etc. That is, I thought it was a great idea. Seth's school has decided to show the speech to all grades. Kindergarten?!? They sent home a form for me to sign if I decided not to allow Seth to watch it. It seems so harsh, so black and white. (No pun intended!) It's like me signing the form is making some sort of declaration...some political statement...some stance about the President's views, his party or maybe even him personally. Oh sure, maybe it's not really that big of a deal. Maybe most of the class will be sitting this one out. It just irritates me that instead of me signing a form showing that I want him to participate, I have to sign a form to deny him from participation. Will I run the risk of making myself look like an unbending right winged nut job? Will I look like I have a racial issue? Thank you for making me dwell on this all weekend! Ugh. As I said to a friend earlier, I think the President of the United States of America should have the right to use public school as a forum. It's really not that. It's simply that my dear 5 year old with ADHD lacks the ability to sit still and/or be quiet. He can't sit through a tv show without a certain amount of chatter and fidgeting. We go to Church. I do not bring Seth into the service with me because he will be disruptive. So instead, he goes to a service designed for a child. This is logical. Why do I have to feel guilt and worry over what is so obviously common sense?? The picture above was taken as Seth and Wyatt watched President Obama being sworn into office. I love this picture. I am proud of this picture and everything that it stands for. I love this country. I love having freedom and choice. I just don't like feeling like my back is against the wall. In the end, I have to go with my gut and do what I feel is best for my kid. He'll have to miss this one. You want my child to participate? Come in person and be prepared with puppets, magic tricks and balloon animals.