From what I can remember as a child, most kids say they want to an astronaut or an actor or the president when they grow up. For me, I have always secretly wanted to be an astronaut (space is so cool), but I’m too small and one look at my medical history would have the interviewers laughing.
Most likely, I wanted to be an actress when I was in elementary school, but I am horrible at memorization and don’t do well being the center of attention. Then, there’s the president position. The one and only time I considered this as my future career was in fourth grade, during the election season (ah, 2008, such simple times).
I remember my teacher talking to us about how monumental this election was. Barack Obama was the first African American to win the nomination for a major political party in America. Being a kid, I didn’t fully grasp the importance of this. But as I have grown up and learned more about the history of this nation, I understood why this was an important time.
Not too long after the election of Obama, I realized that being the president was just too difficult, and my 9-year old self moved on to a new dream job. Looking back, I made the right choice. I don’t think I could handle leading an entire country, let alone one that is so divided.
The idea that a lot of kids want to be president when they grow up is pretty common. But as kids, we don’t understand the immense responsibilities that come with such a position. I think what was so attractive about it as children was that we got to live in a big white house and tell people what to do.
Obviously, being the president is much more than that.
That is something I wish current administration would realize. Yes, obviously as the president you must deal with politics and keep the economy up and not starting another war, all while balancing a nation. But you must think of the generations below you that are in the most important years of their life.
These children are hearing their parents or their teachers talk about the next crisis and although they might not understand it, they know something is wrong. They know that the big man in the White House is letting children be gunned down in school because he does not understand that military-grade weapons should be illegal for civilians. They know that kids in a town in Michigan, ones just like them, have been without clean water for three years. They know.
Children may not know of all the responsibilities that come with being the president, but as an 8 or 9-year old, it seems like a “cool” job. Today, young kids are hearing about the president and it leaves an impression on them.
Young boys do not need to believe that abusing women and threatening others when offended is the way to become a powerful person. Young girls do not need to believe that staying quiet is the only thing they can do when being harassed.
Children do not need to believe that someone is able to walk into their school and kill their friends. No president is perfect, but actions being taken by our current one are indescribably horrific.
As children, we had such high hopes and big dreams about what we wanted to be when we grew up. The president must realize that his position has an influence on children who are at such an impressionable age. His behaviors may bring about a generation of individuals who act just like him, without regard for human emotions besides their own.
If I could address him personally, I would simply say, “There is so much to this world than just the one you live in inside your head. If you so badly want to make America great, realize it starts with the children, not yourself.”
