MyDD :: The Terror Of Things Undone.

The Terror Of Things Undone.

by Lieber, Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 02:58:36 PM EST

My 6 year-old daughter, Josephine, REFUSES to learn to ride her bicycle, mostly because the act of doing so doesn't make any sense to her.

How is it possible that she can balance and steer and turn and start herself by herself without falling -- SMACK -- on the asphalt.

"You're not going to let go of me, right? Right? You'll hold on? And you'll run with me, right? You promise you won't let me fall and even if I fall you won't let me be hurt? Promise? Promise PROMISE?"

I try and assure her, as best I can that its going to be alright, but we keep ending up getting emotional... and frustrated... and angry with each other because I CAN'T actually "promise PROMISE" she won't get hurt and she can't seem to imagine the possibility that she can DO something she's never done before.

Faith. It all comes down to faith.

And so the two of us struggle along... me running and holding and catching and trying my best to tell her it will someday happen, even though both of us are starting to believe that its NEVER GOING TO--

Wait. Oh. Oh... Hang on...

We haven't elected a Democratic President in 12 years.
We haven't elected a Democcratic President without a third party candidate in 32.
We haven't elected an African-American Democratic President EVER.

And while I can't "promise PROMISE" you that it will happen... I'm pretty sure that if we all have a little faith... its going to turn out just fine.

Tags: The Feeling On November 5th (all tags)

Permalink :: 15 Comments :: Post a Comment

As you can see... (2.00 / 11)

...three days later she's decided that... fuck just riding... now she's got to do tricks.

by Lieber on Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 02:59:29 PM EST

Tell Josephine that some silly guy on the (2.00 / 2)

Internet is very proud of her.

Christine is six now, Roxy is eight. Two years ago Roxy and I had that same experience, and Christine will be ready very soon. And then I will never do that again.

...sigh...

Thanks for sharing.

Motley Moose: Progress Through Politics

by chrisblask on Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 05:40:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tell Josephine that some silly guy on the (2.00 / 1)

Rock on. Yeah my son did the same thing, then a week later I had to build a ramp for him. We're brave people. We have faith. We are all Big Sky Democrats.

by Trey Rentz on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 08:08:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Rec'ed of course (2.00 / 5)

I wish I could just set an auto Rec Bro....

Lieber diary.

Check.

Like I said on the Donna Brazile thread, before it was hijacked, I know I can't possibly imagine what I will be like for black folks to watch Barack take the oath...

But, I DO know, I am going cry like a baby anyway....

On Nov 4th, Barack Obama officially ends the Southern Strategy....

by WashStateBlue on Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 04:01:16 PM EST

I'm going to glow for 6 months... (2.00 / 2)

by Lieber on Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 04:21:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm going to glow for 6 months... (2.00 / 4)

Everyone has probably heard my story...so bear with me...

My GF's boss is lovely black woman, about my age, Georgtown law grad, total type A personality...
Very political.

She asked me early on who I was backing (before the primaries) and I said Obama of course.

She said "America will never put a black man in the Whitehouse"...

I said "I got five bucks says they will!"

I think that is one bet she is going to love to lose.

I'm going to have the 5 Bucks framed and put it on my office wall.

On Nov 4th, Barack Obama officially ends the Southern Strategy....

by WashStateBlue on Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 04:29:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Field Negro has bet a nude run down Broad Street (none / 0)

in some WSZ in Philly. We will be watching... and laughing our asses off!

yo mir kennen

by RisingTide on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 01:37:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Check this out.... (none / 0)

Hey RT, you want a laugh...Check out Chris Buckley's column:

Sorry, Dad, I'm Voting for Obama
by Christopher Buckley

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-s tories/2008-10-10/the-conservative-case- for-obama

On Nov 4th, Barack Obama officially ends the Southern Strategy....

by WashStateBlue on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 06:50:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rec'ed of course (2.00 / 2)

I agree -- I'll never really understand what it means to non-white folks. Not really. But it's still going to be an amazing moment.

But what I do know is: my (white) kids, their friends (white and black and brown and everything inbetween), our (white) friends' (white) daughter and (black) son -- they're never going to really understand a world where only white people can become President of the United States. It'll be in their history books, they'll know it used to be that way... but the first election my kids will remember, they'll remember wearing Obama pins and Obama shirts and sitting at the caucus coloring pictures of a black man with American flags waving around him.

And in that way their world will forever be a bit different and a bit better.

No Way. No How. No McCain-Palin!

by Texas Gray Wolf on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 01:31:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

My favorite cartoon of this election cycle (none / 0)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/horsey/vie wbytopic.asp?topic=Election&id=1769

On Nov 4th, Barack Obama officially ends the Southern Strategy....

by WashStateBlue on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 11:45:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Inspiring and beautiful... (2.00 / 2)

On these dark days of the smear campaign, we all need diaries like this.

Now Loose on the Moose

by brit on Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 07:27:07 PM EST

For soothing my troubled soul.... (2.00 / 2)

Recced and Mojoed.

TANSTAAFL

by Terminus on Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 08:12:02 PM EST

I went through the same thing with my dad. (2.00 / 3)

Had to laugh. Poor guy ran around and around the block with me but everytime he let go I would start to fall so he would grab back on. It seemed hopeless at the time.

Then one morning, a neighbor boy said he could teach me. He took me out on the grass, gave me a good, hard push and told me to pedal. Off I went!

We can and will win this one! And we will do it with the help of our family, neighbors and friends!

That One is the Right One for 2008.

by GFORD on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 09:36:26 AM EST

What's with the classic trucks (2.00 / 1)

on the other side of the street? Other than that they are cool.

by looty on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 12:22:27 PM EST

Laughing. There are a couple of guys... (none / 0)

...in my neighborhood who are car dudes and I believe those belong to them.

by Lieber on Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 12:31:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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