Have you ever watched a major policy address with a four-year-old? If not I highly suggest it. For starters, you can field questions like this: “Why does Barack Obama need two microphones?”  and “Does Barack Obama have toys at his house?”

This all came about because, per usual, I was multitasking.  I’m working on this politics and policy podcast with another Care2 blogger and we’d decided our Wednesday show was going to respond to the President’s plan on Afghanistan.  So Tuesday night when we got home from swimming lessons Kelly had the address on and a fire going (have I mentioned lately how much I love this man, because really, I do) I assumed Owen would do what he usually does when he sees one of “mommy’s shows” on–ignore it.  Or, use it as an opportunity to throw a fit about how he wants to watch one of his shows.

But not this time.  Instead (and in what I’m convinced was a clear effort at sucking up to mommy) he turned to me, said “Look mommy!  It’s the Barack Obama show!” and proceeded to grab a blanket and make himself comfortable on the couch.

Not only did he watch the address, he listened.  Not a parenting moment I was especially prepared for.  Politics, like religion, sex, and well, just about everything “adult” is something we’ve decided to take as it comes, choosing to answer questions as Owen raises them rather than create some overarching parenting pedagogy by which to systematically educate him.  As you can imagine, we’ve fielded a lot more questions about religion and sex than politics.  And I also try and censor some of the political content because, well, it can get a little heavy even for me.

In fact, my first instinct on Tuesday night was to change the channel since I knew the President would be talking about life and death in very real terms.  Real terms that my four-year-old would look to me for translation.  I think in part because I’m raising a boy I’m especially sensitive to his exposure to violence.  Even the fantasy violence of Star Wars can be too much for me at times, so you can imagine I’m not wild about images of GI Joe and real violence.  So naturally my first thought was that Owen shouldn’t hear the President talk about war.

But I didn’t change the channel, in part because I didn’t really believe Owen’s enthusiasm for The Barack Obama show would last and in part because I wanted to watch it as well.  So instead we watched.  Together. And I’m not sure who took away more from the experience.

Even if my instinct is to shield my son from the violence of our world, I can’t.  All I can do is help decipher it, to field questions, and hope some of the explanations get through.  So that’s what I did.  I told Owen that Barack Obama needed two microphones to make sure everyone in the audience could hear him, and that I was pretty sure the White House had toys.  This parenting thing is a snap!

But later when he asked me “Mommy, what does tyranny mean?” I had to think fast.  So I said “it’s when the leaders treat the people not fairly” (back off the grammar correction, not fairly is the concept he understands, “un” anything just doesn’t compute in the almost five-year-old brain) thinking it was just vague enough that I’d dodge a follow-up.  I could tell he was deciding if my offer of proof was adequate.  Then I got this for follow-up: “Mommy, tyranny is just like the Empire.  Does that mean Barack Obama is a jedi”?

Holding back my pride and my laughter I simply said yes, Owen.  It does mean Barack Obama is a jedi.