As our nation gears up for an historic presidential election (or—depending on your perspective—winds down from two years of relentless campaigning), I find myself wondering what our children will learn and inherit from this next administration?

Our three-and-a-half year old knows the names of both candidates. This is sort of surprising, since my husband and I are not political junkies, but we all know how much campaign trail press coverage there has been. Recently one evening when our son was over-tired, we gave him two minutes before bed to “get the willies out.” He took the opportunity to race through the house, yelling “Barack Obama! Barack Obama!” When he finally calmed down and got into bed, we asked him whom he thought would win the election, to which he replied, “John McCain.”

Funny, yes, but it made me question: what can we hope our son learns from either of these men as the next occupant of the Oval Office? Is either fit to be a hero, an inspiration or a role model to our little citizen? From my perspective, that’s a fair requirement, because part of what I’m looking for in a leader is, well, leadership. It’s fine that we hold up football players as the example to encourage him to eat “all of his broccoli, so he can be big and strong like them” or point to the neighbor kid who “wears big boy underwear all the time” to cajole him out of diapers for good. But what about the more cerebral stuff like national values and what it means to be a leader in the global landscape? Beyond family and close friends, are we not within our rights to expect the highest standards for our president as an inspiration to ourselves and our children?

Like most parents, we have big dreams for our son and the world in which he’ll grow up and make a life for himself and his future family. We desire a cleaner environment, a better economic outlook and improved educational and healthcare systems. But frankly that’s not enough; I want more from this next president. I’m hopeful that, specifically with regard to our country’s foreign policies, our new leadership can undo much of the damage done by the old. I’m not unique in feeling that an opportunity was squandered in the wake of 9/11 and that we had a rare moment to strengthen existing relationships abroad and even build new ones.

Fortunately, the United States is home to where second chances breathe new life and opportunity, and I think the world will give us another bite at the apple to right what we’ve wronged. I hope that our next president will say—out loud—that we cannot lead the world without befriending it and healing it a little at the same time. Would we not give the same advice to our children?

Indeed, what kind of confident leader, regardless of his or her age, would go it alone? Whom can you lead if no one follows you? In my opinion, making yourself liked and trusted (and doing so with authenticity and consistency) is the first step to being a good leader and building a base of thoughtful, loyal and strong friends, allies, followers, team mates, etc. We tell our preschooler to cooperate, to take his turn, to speak kindly to others, and to clean up his own mess. That advice holds true for parents and elected representatives, though we don’t always follow it, do we? So maybe I have it backwards; maybe the next president should be looking at the littlest citizens for inspiration and behavioral guidelines as opposed to the other way around. If we ask Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain to “use their words,” will they lead the world by example? Let’s hope so.

Tags: election, global citizens, leadership