Imagine if my Mom and Dad had acted like our leaders today

I’m really stressed out about how our leadership can’t manage to work together even when there’s a life and death pandemic going on. Last night I heard one of our local leaders say in a press conference that one of our state leaders made a bad decision. It made me squirm. 

Shouldn't they have consulted first about what to tell us all!?  So as not to incite confusion?  Or division? 

Imagine what it might have looked like if my mom and dad had acted like that. Kind of like this, maybe? 

Me, to my 3 younger brothers and sister: “Let’s go out and play.”

My Brother: "Are we allowed?"

My Sister: "Let’s ask Dad."

Me: "OK." 

Us, to Dad: "Can we go out and play?"

Dad: "It’s not good. Lots of danger out there. Mom, what do you think?" 

Mom: "Oh, let them go out. What can happen?" 

Dad: "A lot. A lot can happen."*

Mom: "Oh go on kids, go play." 

Dad: "No, kids, don't go."

Me, and my siblings, looking at each other smugly: These people are idiots and know nothing. 

Us conferring in the front yard after this useless guidance: 

Me: "Let’s go out and play!"

Sister: "But Mom said..."

Brother: "But Dad said..." 

Me: "Let's go!" 

Siblings: "OK!"

And off we would go, for better or worse.

I’m thinking this whole thing could have looked much differently, if our leaders were more on the same page and could work together more effectively. Maybe it could go like this: 

Us, to Dad: "Can we go out?"

Parents (after consultation): "You can go out, but only to the end of the street, and here is why." 

Us:  "OK." **

Is it too much to ask that our elected leaders work together? Is it too much to ask them to put aside their differences, and stop with the finger-pointing and name-calling, and blaming each other for everything, and to help us all through this unprecedented crisis? Is it too much to ask for leaders I can be inspired by? Leaders who don’t call each other idiots? Leaders who don’t accuse each other of trying to kill Americans with bad policy, which I just cannot imagine is true on either side. 

Maybe I’m old and idealistic, and simplifying the issue, implying that people are like children, but this is how too much of our leadership feels to me today: like bad parents.  

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FOOTNOTES

*This was the 80's, and Stranger Danger fear was absolutely RAMPANT. 

**One of my brothers still might have ventured off the street despite being told not to. My sister may even have stayed home.  Because not everyone does what they are told, a lot of people are even more cautious than told to be, and with good leadership people feel more secure.  Also, Stranger Danger was not valid - look it up. This is not a political statement. And finally, actual good parenting is a much bigger topic than the pandemic, I'm afraid, and the subject of at least two prior blog posts of mine: one, two.