I was walking through IKEA today. Not a common occurrence. Honestly, I think most of the furniture is cheap. Not cheaply priced, mind you. Cheap as in college dorm, throw-away furniture. Except some of it actually comes with a hefty price-tag. But they do have a few knick-knacks that are nifty and relatively inexpensive. So we picked up some of those little fabric hanging shelves for munchkin’s closet so we can pretend to organize it amid the countless Hotwheels, dinosaur books and shoes tossed about. And a couple 99 cent bags of potpourri.

But anyway…back to the title question…Would you let your munchkin wear a Presidential Candidate’s pin?

Because I saw a little girl, about my munchkin’s age (4), wearing one at IKEA and it really took my breath away for a second.

First, it was for the “wrong” candidate. I wanted to kneel down and tell the girl, “Oh honey, your parents have misled you, but it’s sweet that you’re already involved in politics.”

But seriously, I was thinking…did this girl even know what she was wearing? Did she ask to wear the pin, or did Daddy (who she was shopping with) just slap it on the little girl’s shirt because he didn’t have the cahones to wear it himself?

And then I started thinking…would I let my munchkin wear a candidate’s pin during this heated race? Even if he asked?

I would be tempted to give a resounding “No.”

I don’t know about you, but it seems that this Presidential Election has brought out the worst in some American citizens. While everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, that doesn’t mean that said opinion should be thrust upon others with nasty verbalizations. And some are so insanely over the edge that I don’t doubt they would attack little children for wearing the “wrong” pin.

Am I being overprotective? Am I too distrusting of the zealot supporters of either side? I’m not sure. But I don’t think promoting a candidate by pinning a little fashion accessory to my kid’s shirt is worth the possible infliction of mental harm by obsessive freaks.

The next 11 days can’t go by fast enough.