Gay People Can Get Married And A Black Man is President, So What?

In the car on my way to drop my sons at camp I heard on NPR that a critical portion of DOMA had been struck down. I let out a squeal of joy and started tearing up. My sons in the back seat of course wanted to know what the heck all the fuss was about. So I start off by asking them, “you know how I’ve told you sometimes things are not fair, well this is…” to which my eight-year-old sensing the teaching moment that was about to ensue blurts out, “okay, okay mom.” In that dismissive tone children reserve exclusively for their parents. Undeterred I press on, “Well you know how me and dad are married well some people like aunt Becky and aunt Meredith even though they are married too they can’t..” Again my eight-year-old interrupts and in an exasperated voice asks, “Mom, can you please just skip to the end?”

Alrighty then.

And then it dawns on me that though my eight-year old is totally over the whole gay marriage thing because he is more interested in his iPad at this age than equal justice under the law, this is likely to be his reaction for the rest of his life: So what? He’s going to grow up in a society where marriage equality is the norm. So while we’re all thrilled or crushed that gay marriage is legit now, depending on our own personal beliefs, this is happening. And in twenty years when our kids are adults they won’t even remember a time when things were any different. You’re gay and getting married? So what?

Likewise, nearly his entire life there has been a black president. Remember when the show 24 seemed so edgy because they portrayed a black president – like that would ever happen in our lifetimes, right? No seriously, they were right. Because before we had a black president mothers everywhere would say to their children they could be anything they wanted to be. But the dirty little secret caveat for most moms, was as long as their kids didn’t want to be president that was true. Because you need to be a white Anglo-Saxon Christian male for that job. But, you know, whatever else you want to be honey, you go for it.

So I’m now completely thrilled that my son has no time or energy to waste on contemplating these blasé old-fashioned notions. In fact, I wish all the talking heads and drama queens out there would just pipe down and get over it too. But before we become too jaded I wouldn’t mind seeing a chick in the Oval Office sooner rather than later. Any moms out there looking for a new career path?

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