As I snuggled on the couch with my kids, who are eight and 10, to watch the presidential inauguration, making sure they didn't miss this historic event, I had many tear-filled moments, as I'm sure many of you did. But when my daughter asked me why I was crying at the end of Joe Biden [1]'s speech, all I could say was, "I've been waiting for so long for our president to do the right thing."
I finally feel safer and more taken care of, especially in regards to this pandemic. Like all of us watching COVID devastatingly sweep over our world, he's doing one simple, yet important thing: wearing a mask. It may not seem like that big a deal, but he's setting an example to all of us on how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Even while signing executive orders [2] on his first day in office last night, sitting by himself at his desk, socially distanced from others — he wore a mask. Even though he's been vaccinated [3] — he wore a mask. And even though the staff and reporters in the room had taken all the proper precautions [4] — he kept his mask on. What a powerful message!
Unlike the previous administration, just this simple act of respect in wearing a mask to protect others and seeing our president doing the right thing offers me the glimmer of hope I've been waiting for for so long. Hopefully setting this example will encourage others to continue to wear their masks, to wear them correctly, and to wear a mask even after being vaccinated [5], as experts have recommended.
If we want masks to prevent the spread of COVID, everyone has to wear them. I keep thinking that my kids have to wear masks every minute while they're (lucky enough to be) at school, even when they're socially distancing outside at recess. I'll never forget several months ago when they asked why Donald Trump [6] wasn't wearing a mask. My heartbreaking answer was, "Sometimes even grown-ups break the rules." And their response? "But he's the president." Well, now we finally have an intelligent, moral, and respectful role model for my kids and everyone in this nation to look up to. I'm feeling proud of our president for doing the right thing, and I'm ready to see some positive change!
