Learning life lessons from the sidewalk protesters

I couldn't believe my ears. After walking into an event recently and greeting a few acquaintances known to be quite religious, I caught the tail end of their intense conversation.

"Children shouldn't be taken places where their minds are manipulated," an older gentleman was saying. "Children shouldn't be made to believe in nonsense. They aren't old enough to make decisions about certain fundamental questions on their own, and forcing a belief system on them is completely unfair."

I could hardly speak. Everyone was nodding.

"I'm confused," I said, looking around. "Since when are you guys against taking children to church?"

It was their turn to stare in disbelief. After a few minutes of what most people call an uncomfortable silence but I call happy hour, the speaker cleared his throat.

"We're not against taking children to church, Catherine. We're against parents taking their children to protest rallies like Occupy Tampa."

Oh, OK. That sounded about right.

"What's the difference between church and a political rally?" I asked.

It wasn't a fair question, mostly because I knew the answer all along. One gathering consists of rational and caring adults modeling decent, civic-minded behavior. The other serves communion.

I wanted to tell my audience that a family rebelling together, stays together. I almost mentioned that recent polls show more than 50 percent of Americans agree with the Occupiers. That's a higher percentage than those who regularly attend a house of worship. Instead, I walked away and tried to find a harmless conversation about tropical storms. After all, I didn't want to be brought up on child-abuse charges.

Nothing elicits fear and intimidation more than a few hundred protestors exercising their constitutional rights in public. But for me, the Occupy movement is an opportunity to put democracy on display for my kids. Through their attendance and involvement, they can experience a collective action, including all the positive and negative aspects of such, live and in person, rather than reading about it in a history book.

Admittedly, the topic is complex. Our economic problems took decades to create, and the solutions won't come quickly or easily. Yet, children can still comprehend what's happening.

Try this analogy, either for the young child or confused adult who turns off the television and finally shows an interest:

Some people are gathered in a kitchen. They purchase ingredients, measure and mix everything together with pride, care and attention. They toil over a hot stove for hours and finally produce the most delicious, mouth-watering apple pie. Afterward, those who own the kitchen arrive and take the pie away. Workers who created the culinary masterpiece are now requesting a slice. That's it. They don't want the whole pie. They simply want one slice, and perhaps a fork with which to eat it.

Children have an amazing sense of fairness, and this idea that the majority of people should benefit from a system they helped create resonates with them.

Most parents raise their kids to self-advocate. Responsible moms and dads extol the virtues of self-defense and the power of taking a stand against bullies. Those who bring their children to Gaslight Park in downtown Tampa every weekend are simply modeling the behavior they seek in young ones, showing our actions truly speak louder than words. Activists stand up with teachers, hairdressers and other concerned citizens to provide their families with a living example of what happens when we take a stand.

Then they throw around a football and go home.

It's not a bad way to spend the day.

Occupy Tampa is just getting started. Lasting movements take time to build, and we'll see whether this movement dies out or thrives and ultimately changes the world.

I'm hoping their populist message cuts through the fog and cynicism to reach the hearts and minds of everyone. In the end though, the lesson is in the journey.

Taking our kids, at any age, to participate in a community movement where neighbors gather to talk about solutions, where the powerful are humbled by the people, is good for them and us. At the very least, it's most certainly an American ideal.

As American, you might say, as apple pie.