Parenting Perspectives: I say ‘yes’ for kids

Talk about it

I came to the conclusion a long time ago that my children are smarter than I am.

That’s probably a good thing in an evolution/survival-of-the-fittest kind of way.

That fact was reaffirmed again last week as we tried to figure out what to wear for Halloween. Gone are the days when I put the kids in whatever adorable princess dress I could find. Now it’s their decision, and they pick costumes I can’t even pronounce.

“Honey, who or what is an ‘Ah-soak-ah?’ ”

“How do you spell ‘Pad-may?’ ”

I was asking about these “Star Wars” characters because the girls had me searching for costumes online. I’m not sure why they didn’t just do it themselves. After all, they only need me for my credit card. They’re the ones who navigate the Web like Luke Skywalker wields a lightsaber – fast and without hesitation or fear. The Force is with them. I just try to keep up.

While I’d like to take full credit for my children’s smarts, I know I can’t. The fact is for the last four years, they have had outstanding teachers who have nurtured their talents in everything from computers and math to art and music. And one week from today we have the opportunity to show these educators our appreciation.

On Nov. 2, I’m planning to vote “yes” on the Moorhead school levy referendum. It just makes sense to me.

Do I want to pay higher taxes? Absolutely not. But some things are worth it.

We simply cannot cut corners on our children’s education. This is a reasonable plan at the right time.

My girls don’t understand why we have a sign saying “YES” in our front yard. All they know is they love their school and their teachers.

They couldn’t wait to dress in orange and black on Spud Day. And they weren’t the only ones. We’re proud of this school system. But shouldn’t we be just a little embarrassed that we’re among the 10 percent of districts in the state without a voter-approved operating levy? Our children deserve the same support students receive in places like Monticello, Mankato and Minnetonka.

Even without those additional funds, our teachers continue to amaze me with what they give our kids.

Just last Christmas, I was decorating the house with my daughters. I pulled out a CD of “A Crooner’s Christmas” because nothing says Christmas more to me than Frank Sinatra calling Mrs. Claus a “dame.” But apparently Sammy Davis Jr. singing about “those groovy wise men, man” put my 7-year-old over the edge.

She said, “Mom, how about if we listen to Tchaikovsky?”

It seems second-graders now study the “Nutcracker Suite” in music class. We never did that.

It would be easy to say this vote is just for those of us with kids in school. But it goes further than that. This is about the growth and development of our children and our community. It’s time to step up and do what’s right.

Now if I could just convince that music teacher to teach a unit on Sinatra.

Tracy Briggs is a mother of two and is an employee of Forum Communications Co.

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