For the Sake of Argument

I have long viewed my sister and I as opposites. Polar opposites even, at times.

There is the obvious:

• I'm a boy; she's a girl.

But there is also:

• She wanted to play "house" together; I wanted to be left alone to play G.I. Joe or Star Wars
• She's outgoing; I'm shy
• She was popular in highschool (she was a cheerleader after all); I had only one friend (just kidding, but I certainly wasn't as popular as a cheerleader, maybe as popular as an art geek... they're not popular? Oh, right, anywho...)
• She is concerned about how she looks and what she wears; I am perfectly content looking scruffy and have been known to wear ropes as belts, two different colored shoes and pajamas to school
• She liked listening to New Kids on the Block; I liked listening to The Cure
  
• She wanted to watch Little House on the Prairie; I wanted to watch Robotech
• She exercises, pretty much daily; I am lucky if I think about exercising weekly
• I enjoyed having a green AMC Hornet as my first car; she complained if I tried to drop her off in it too close to the main entrance of the high school
  
• I found highschool math easy enough; she struggled
• I struggled in college; she blossomed
• I'd much rather go to an art museum; she would much rather go to a hockey game

Despite all these differences, we managed to get along for the most part, and as time has gone by I think we find it much easier to do so. I know I certainly enjoy her company. And, naturally, there are things we do have in common. Politics, for example. Turns out we both voted for Obama (although I had made up my mind during the primaries, while she was still considering her options a few weeks before November 4th).

Which brings me to political opposition between another brother and sister pair I know. It happened over breakfast this morning. I'm sitting there, eating my generic version of Frosted Mini-Wheats, with a Newsweek on the table displaying the candidates on the cover. Sofi starts talking something about Obama and McCain (she got to vote between the two in a pretend election in preschool), and the next thing I know I'm listening to this volley of candidate support, with Sofi stating "Oh-bama" (a surprise considering her vote in preschool: she voted "M" for McCain... perhaps she thought she was voting for "M"ontana) and this declaration from Sofi is followed by Isaac stating "Mah-Cain" (where he learned that McCain is the opposite of Obama I am CLUELESS). And before I know it, Sofi is leaning in, Isaac is glaring, and the candidate names have gone from declarations to shouts that are well beyond our acceptable level of "indoor voice": "Ohbama!" "MahCain!" "OHBAMA!" "MAHCAIN!" "OHBAHMAAAA!" "MAHCAAAAAAAAIN!" And just to be heard I have to yell to tell them to stop yelling because: 1) it was getting WAY too loud, and 2) annoying and 3) not only are they both at least 14 years too young to debate how they are going to vote but 4) they're also too late---the election has come and gone already! Talk about arguing and shouting for the sake of argument!

And, if they couldn't oppose each other enough and argue about something even more senseless: the following morning they did the EXACT same thing... but TOOK THE OTHER SIDE! Sofi's yelling "MahCain!" and Isaac's yelling "Bama!" Could a brother and sister be more opposed?!?

Vote!

As we were on our way to church this past Sunday I saw our political propoganda in our lawn and front window and announced to everyone else in the car that it was "just two more days!" and that I was getting excited to see the outcome. I then asked Sofi if she would like to go and vote with me on Tuesday, something I'd been thinking about doing simply because I want both kids to know from an early age that this is something everyone should do.

She responded "Yes" and then continued: "I'm going to vote for Hannah Montana!"

We had heard this before, and are a bit amazed by it, because we rarely ever watch the Disney Channel (I'm assuming that is the one she is on), and we have never watched Hannah Montana. I assume that she has learned about Ms. Montana on the bus (that's were every preschooler learns about the wider world, right?). Wondering what classmate might be the one who has political influence over my daughter I asked "Do you know anyone else who is voting for Hannah Montana?"

Sofi was quietly just pointing at herself, leaving us guessing, when suddenly another voice from the back seat piped up to answer my question: "I-ICK!"

It appears that Isaac, as well, plans to cast a write-in ballot. He does, after all, try to do whatever he sees his sister doing.