What Will You Tell Your Kids You Did?
This is a letter to my kids.
One day they will ask me, “what did you do when Trump became president in 2025?”
Dear Kids,
I looked into your sweet young faces and felt broken.
How is this the world we are handing you?
The second I learned about all the companies involved in supporting Trumps presidency I stopped funding them.
Is it inconvenient to not shop at Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods?
Yes
But it keeps my humanity in tact.
It brings me to local stores.
It gives me a small sense of power to fight back where I can, with the money I spend everyday.
I will tell you, this is when we began shopping at Chatterbaux a second hand store for kids in Pacific Grove, California.
This is when I showed you how cool it is to give away your toys, to sell them, and to get consignment money to buy yourself used / new to you toys.
This is when I doubled down on making used toys sound wayyyyy cooler than packaged, plastic wrapped brand new toys that are expensive and benefit billionaires at the top.
Not local businesses.
Not the everyday American.
Not our environment.
Am I perfect?
Do I stay away from these places 100%?
No
I am human and do my best to walk the middle line, but most of my time and money is holding up two peace fingers to these companies that benefit on profit over human rights.
These companies that did away with diversity, equity, and inclusion protection for employees.
That support a convicted felon and a broken system that doesn’t hold sex offenders accountable.
I will tell my son I doubled down on gathering with friends and community.
I poured my heart into making sure the people around me are okay because that is what I am good at doing.
I took care of myself so I could give from a half full cup and not an empty one.
I will tell my daughter I took you both to protests and we held up signs that said, “my body my choice.”
And
“We belong together.”
We went to celebrate Martin Luther King day with our community.
I bought books on civil rights to teach you about our history.
I taught you to be smart, to question authority, to not just settle for half answers, but to demand the truth.
The truth is what sets us free and you have to be smart and educated to understand the truth. It’s too easy for people to manipulate, lie, and be greedy.
Is this too much to share with a 6 year old?
It might be….but when I think of the 6 year old’s in this country living with the fear of separation from their families. The toddlers being detained and forced to represent themselves in courts across what is supposed to be a free country—I question if I am telling him enough.
I will tell my kids I wish I did more.
I did what I could.
I gave to organizations like ACLU and signed every petition they sent my way.
Now I ask you,
What are you doing now that you will tell your kids and this next generation?
Write it down. Share it.
What you are doing matters.
Every little bit counts.
How can we not teach our little ones what is happening when this is happening in detention centers around this country to young children?
Protest breaks out at Dilley immigration detention facility holding 5-year-old Liam Ramos
I want to protect his mental health and I want him to know what injustice looks like. I’d also like him to know how to stand up to it….I feel lost with that, besides writing and what I’ve said above.
Help, tell me what you’re doing in the comments.
Love Always,
Danielle Mallett
