Tuesday, January 19, 2010




Let's all sit down and play a board game together.




Is this really so terrifying?







MotherReader said...

Thanks for sharing that post - both of you. It was beautifully put. Especially how no one is forcing you to put different pegs in your car and maybe you'll just go on playing the game without worrying about it.

It hits on what positively baffles me about this fight - that it needs to be a fight at all. Why do people feel the need to go out of their way to deny rights to a another group of people, when it doesn't affect the first group at all? And not think that's kind of Wrong to do?

My kids would hear little bits about marriage equality or rights from ads or overheard conversations or such, and I always explained it simply for them. So now at 10 and 13 they can't see what the big deal is either.

Blogstradamus said...

That's great. It makes you want to play the upper case and lower case versions of the game. Perhaps the game makers can make more colors for the pegs...

Angela said...

Lee, u know the coolest people.
Count me in as another parent who has trouble explaining the legal battles to their kids. They also don't see why it is an issue for two people who love each other to get married. Maybe it's my fault for telling them when they first asked at age 3 & 4 that it was possible. Because at the time, I didn't think the US would still be fighting about it 10 years later.

fairyhedgehog said...

This is a great guest post!

Tricia said...

I love this post. I wish more families talked to children about possibilities and why every person should be able to choose who they love without repercussion.

Thanks for sharing.

Adrienne said...

Very nice post. :)

Jen Robinson said...

I really like this post, too. The idea of using the game of LIFE - it's so simple, yet so powerful. Like Pam, I'm pretty much baffled by the whole fight. But this post helps, somehow.

Ann Brown said...

The best way to teach our kids is by simply living out what we believe in. Just pair a blue peg with a blue peg. Thank you, Claire, for that story.
Now, if only it would work that way with the careers in the game of Life, as well. I think I will choose a card that says "millionaire", and voila!

Little Willow said...

Wonderful post. Thank you, Claire for writing it, and Lee for sharing it! Whatever color pegs are beside each other, people should be happy. Love is love.

I only played The Game of Life once. When I was informed that I "had" to get married and "had" to have kids, I became very upset. "I don't want to have kids, and I'm probably not going to get married. Couldn't I just work on my career instead?" I was so annoyed!

MASH (the scribbled-on-paper game, not the movie-turned-TV-show) always bothered me for the same reasons, because of questions that required four names of possible future spouses (I didn't want to list anyone because I had no romantic interests) and four different numbers of kids (I wanted to put zero on all four lines).

Anonymous said...

Claire, thank you for that thoughtful post and thank you Lee for sharing. I still can't wrap my head around the dichotomy between "we're all born equal in rights" and the discrimination that is blatant in prop 8 situation. It's like classifying humans; that is old and was wrong from the beginning. If we're all equal (and that's not even a question), shouldn't we have equal rights? Even a kid gets that.

Jodie said...

Aww I remember when I thought just like her kids and then people would start telling me I needed to have justifications for my beliefs, it couldn't just be 'I think this is ok because it is' it has to be backed up with science, or history, or (forbid) scripture to be a valid point of view. It's nice to see someone whose managed to hold onto those basic ideas.

Michelle Zink said...

Hi, Lee!

Thanks so much for your comment on my site. I'm so glad I found yours!

This is such an excellent post. As a single, straight, mother-of-four, it really moved me. My children, ages 10-17, join in my disappointment over the struggle for gay marriage. It's all love to us.

And how can love be wrong?


Mama Librarian said...

That is a fantastic example of how to share your beliefs with your children. We have many lesbian and gay friends with children and my children see examples all the time of same sex couples.

Becker said...

We had a similar experience when playing Life with a friend's daughter. She was about 10 at the time, and decided on her own to mix things up with who was marrying who in her car (and no, I don't think it was because she was playing with a female couple--she even asked us if it was ok--I think it was because she wanted to break the "rules" and have fun). It prompted a great discussion, and this kid is one of the biggest advocates for equal treatment for EVERYONE that I know. Thanks for the post!