Election Day Zoo

Last Tuesday was Election Day and it was a zoo—the Franklin Park Zoo, to be precise. After I had completed some necessary morning chores and cast my ballot I took Maura to the zoo. She has Election Day off every year because Weymouth uses the public schools as polling places and closes them for the day for the safety of students and the convenience of voters. The school closure does nothing for the convenience of parents but because I work evenings it was an opportunity for me to spend some quality time with my daughter.


We got to the zoo around 11:30 and spent three hours there. We had the place almost to ourselves, which surprised me. Weymouth is not the only town that closes its schools on Election Day but almost no one thought to visit the zoo besides us. Perhaps it was the weather. It was one of the chilliest days we’ve had so far this year. It wasn’t too bad to enjoy the zoo, however. It was dry, sunny most of the day, and not very windy. It was plenty comfortable outside if you were bundled up. Many of the zoo’s best exhibits are indoors anyway.

The best exhibit at the Franklin Park Zoo is probably the tropical forest exhibit which is indoors out of the weather. The zoo’s troop of gorillas lives there. Maura’s favorites ringed tailed lemurs live there too, as do free flying birds and many other fascinating animals. We spent over an hour exploring the exhibit. One thing that left me curious was the mice running around the bottom of the fruit bat enclosure. They didn’t trouble the fruit bats but I was left wondering whether the zoo has a mouse problem or if it was simply convenient to keep snake food in with the fruit bats. No signs mentioned the mice so I doubt they were intended to be on display.

The rest of our trip to the zoo was also enjoyable. We heard the lion roar, which we never have before, and we saw the prairie dogs popping in and out of their holes, which is always fun. At Franklin Farm a friendly zoo staffer introduced Maura to the animals and she got to pet the horse and feed the goats.

Our visit to the zoo was educational as well as entertaining. Zoo New England, which runs the Franklin Park Zoo, takes its educational responsibilities very seriously and signage gives a wealth of information about the animals and their habitats as well as about conservation. Maura is curious and smart so she didn’t need any prompting from me to read the signs. Watching her paying attention and learning was a big part of what made the afternoon enjoyable for me. I hope she never loses that curiosity and can still enjoy a visit to the zoo when she’s grown up, even if she doesn’t bring her own kids along. I think the chances of that are probably pretty good.

Taking Maura to the Polls

Maura was out of school Tuesday for the election so when I went to vote I brought Maura with me. While my decision to bring Maura along was made for me by a lack of alternative child care arrangements, I am glad that she was with me when I went to cast my ballot. Though Maura won’t be old enough to vote for twelve years I believe it is important that she learn the importance of voting now. By seeing her parents vote and discussing with us the importance of voting I hope that Maura comes away with an appreciation of the fact that participation in elections is a basic duty of all citizens regardless of their political beliefs and affiliations.

I am not very politically active. In fact I detest politics and outside of the voting booth I would rather avoid it all together. I have never contributed to a political campaign or volunteered my time to a political cause. I don’t plan on doing so in the future. I do believe in the duty of all citizens to come to the polls and vote. The right to vote is the most basic political right in any representative government. In the ballot box all citizens are equal (or at least they should be) and each vote carries the same weight. Voting is the fundamental way that citizens influence the behavior of their government. To not vote is to resign yourself to living with a government that does not represent you. While I have often lacked enthusiasm for the candidates among whom I was called to choose, I have chosen to exercise my right to vote in general elections since I was first able to do so.

While I am sure that I will not instill any enthusiasm for politics in my daughter since I have none, I hope that when she is of age she goes to the polls at every election out of duty, if for no other reason. If, unlike me, she finds excitement in politics, then I wish her the joy of it.