The Great American Road Trip

Five tender, sweet little words will resound forever in my fondest memories:

Mommy, are we there yet?

Over the years, my children have seen all corners of America the Beautiful.  We did The Disney Thing only once during 12 years of awesome family vacations, with all the rest offering something new (that is, unique to the region and not available in Chicago), at least one day of outdoor adventure (at my insistence), and above all, exposure to something educational, usually with a historical theme.

It is through these wonderful cross-country excursions in our old jalopy that I realized children are inclined to give no more than diddley-squat to behold the rugged beauty of the Badlands, but instead can glean a true appreciation for our sociopolitical and cultural landscape.

Our last full-house vacation was South Dakota in 2003.  I found Mount Rushmore breathtaking for the sheer glory of the rock formations; my husband, the engineer, pondered “How’d they do that?”  The children, however, argued incessantly - about how Teddy and Franklin were related and what it was about Teddy’s presidency that gave him a rank up there with Abraham, Thomas, and George.  Their excitement when visiting the Presidential Wax Museum at the foot of Mount Rushmore prompted us to take a second tour before departing for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant on our way home.

Likewise, every trip south of Illinois, from the National Civil Rights Museum at the former Lorraine Motel in Memphis to the French Quarter in New Orleans, necessitated a diversion from I57 through depressed Cairo, Illinois - after which their innocent reflections on the civil war, poverty, and racism would continue until we finally rolled into our driveway during the wee hours.

It was no wonder to me that my son came home Tuesday determined to have his homework done by 7, that my daughter spent the day volunteering at the polls before attending the Obamapalooza victory celebration in Grant Park.

I am so happy that this week my now adult children, with my younger voting for the first time, helped propel a tremendous step forward for humankind.  President elect Barack Obama will someday take a proud and extremely significant place in the Presidential Wax Museum, and our children lived, and perhaps even helped shape, this powerful event.

But Mom, are we there yet?

No, honey.  Not yet.

On the same  day an African-American was elected to the highest office in the nation, millions of other human beings, in the most progressive of our states, were denied access to the most fundamental and universally recognized institution - that of marriage.  The preliminary success of California’s Proposition 8 should warn us to keep our jubilation guarded.  “Human rights” is a notion that remains just out of the grasp of our collective consciousness.  We seem to have taken two steps forward, one step back.

Aw, come on Mom!  How much longer?

I don’t know, sweetheart, but we are getting there.  I promise.  Just look at all the Wall Drug signs - they’re popping up everywhere!  We must be getting close.  Let’s start counting them!