10-23-20

One evening at dinner, my son argued that even though he is only ten years old, he should be allowed to vote. He presented some valid points, including the fact that the President affects his life as much as he affects mine, therefore, he too should have a say in who lives in the White House. Later that night, I told my spouse about the conversation. (Due to the pandemic we are temporarily living in separate places.) She laughed because she could picture it — our son’s excitement and enthusiasm when he debated something he felt was important. But mid-laugh she said, “And if you asked him to write it, he’d tell you he didn’t know what to say.”  She was right. There was something about the formal structure of an essay that made his mind freeze, or his stubbornness flare. He could verbally spar with either of us for an extended time, but when asked to put pencil to paper he’d write two sentences — three if we bribed him with chocolate — and he was done. 

That’s what I need to work on. The ideas were all in his brain. But how could he present them in an organized manner? One afternoon, two weeks ago, while we were having class at the beach — picnic tables in the open air with the smell of salt coming off the water is a far better environment to teach (and learn) writing than at a small desk in a stuffy classroom surrounded by too many people — I presented G3 with his next writing assignment. He grumbled. It was a stupid assignment and a waste of his time and — as my spouse predicted — he had nothing to write about. So I walked away for a few minutes and ran through my taekwondo form a few times until he had calmed down.

When I returned to the table, he was still sulking — his lips pursed and his brow deeply furrowed — but his notebook was open and his pencil was loosely resting in his hand. I took a deep breath and sat down next to him.

“Let’s start with an outline,” I suggested.

“What? No. You hate outlines. You never use them.”

It’s true. I despise outlines. They confuse me far more than they help. But I also always have too much to say which is the opposite of what he was complaining about. “Then write your easy,” I suggested. Sometimes it’s easier to give in.

But as expected, he didn’t like that idea either, so he begrudging consented to an outline. We did it together — his ideas, my guidance. It was less painful than both of us expected. It was solid — at least solid enough to start.

The following day I wanted him to begin his rough draft. I set the timer for 20 minutes as I do every day for writing, but after five minutes the page was still blank.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I don’t want to do it. I’m just going to make mistakes.”

“Perfect!”

His nose flared and his eyes narrowed in a squint as he glared at me, “What do you mean perfect?” He spit the final word at me.

“That’s the whole point of first drafts. They should be full of mistakes.”

“But you want me to use good grammar.”

“Yep, always pay attention to grammar, but if you didn’t make lots of mistakes on your first draft there would be no need for a second one. So make all the mistakes you can.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. The entire point of the first draft is to spill your brain out onto the paper. Then in your second — and maybe third — draft you just have to clean it up.”

The resistance finally fell away and he successfully wrote the first two paragraphs that morning. What follows is his final draft.

Why I Should Be Allowed To Vote

by G3

I should be allowed to vote because the future of America is at stake. I don’t want Donald John Trump in office because he is an idiot, he lies, and he does not care about the American people. Some reasons I should vote are I know more about the presidential candidates than most adults, I know presidential history, and the president will affect me. 

I know more about the presidential candidates than most adults. My mom almost always has CNN on so I get properly informed. I have seen Trump brainwash voters by repeating himself over and over. I watch debates and see what each candidate proposes to do. Such as, Trump wants to end Obamacare, while Biden wants to enforce Obamacare. But in the last debate, I think fly guy won.    

I know presidential history. This is important because I know how other presidents handled crisis. One example is how F.D.R. handled the great depression which had job loss and death. He was able to give jobs to people who needed it. Another example is how Jackson kicked Native Americans off their land and was power hungry and selfish. Just like Trump who puts kids in cages and is selfish and power hungry. There have been good and bad leaders. I know what makes a good leader which Trump is not. 

The person elected will affect me. My grandfather is dead due to Trump. Gay marriage is in jeopardy, so that means I might be living with my parents but they won’t be married. Finally, Covid 19 could have been slowed, so I could be back in school. 

I would vote for Biden. Overall, he is more respectful and Trump needs to go because he is a cold person and he lies.