January 6th 2021, you are 3 weeks old today Oliver. You are sitting in your mothers arms quiet and content after a mid-afternoon feeding. Meanwhile the news is on and your mother and I are watching a sad day unfold in this countries history. A mob of people stormed the capital and broke in to the building while the Senate was in the process of certifying our last presidential election. They stormed the building to specifically try and stop the election from being certified. If we were watching these events unfold in any other country we would call this an attempted coup. I won’t lie, you were born in to this world during a very tumultuous time. And honestly I don’t know what I want to accomplish with this entry in your story. I never thought when I started this website that I would be talking about these types things but I felt I couldn’t let this moment pass by without documenting it for you and sharing our thoughts.

What happened today was horrid. It was the result of four years harmful and dangerous rhetoric by the president of the United States. He has pedaled misinformation and lies that have divided this country more than any foreign advisory could have ever dreamed of. Words matter and especially the words of the president. He has continually used his words to incite violence and prop up racist ideals. What happened today in our Capitol was a disgrace and a stain on our history but it should not come as a surprise to anyone. This man is not fit for office and I am so happy his tenure is almost at an end.

I don’t know what more I can say. I’m exhausted by all this but here is what I can tell you. Your mother and I are going to do everything we can to make this world a better place for you to grow up in. We are going to do that by electing officials that value decency and will work for all individuals and not their own self interests. We will stand up and support equal rights for all individuals. We will speak out against the inequality and injustice in this country that is perpetrated against those of color. We will support and listen to our scientific communities. This is what we are going to do, and these are the values we will pass down to you.