The Capitol riot reminds us: We must care for democracy like a child

A crowd control fence surrounds Capitol Hill a day after a pro-Trump mob broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. By BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
Wednesday started like any other day in the life of a parent of young children in the era of COVID.
There was breakfast, and reading, and drawing Totoros. There was changing diapers and playing outside, and putting the toddler down for a nap. There was screen time for my 5-year-old and there was a fight and a reconciliation over cuddles, kisses and tickles. There was bingo playing and dance party, and coloring with markers and watercolors. There was tidying up toys for the 100th time. There was dinner prep, eating, food all over the floor. There were bedtime stories, and lullabies.
And there was the news of white supremacist Trump supporters storming the Capitol.
Jan. 6, 2021, marked three years and four months since I became an American citizen, after moving from Argentina to New York in 2007 to join the clergy team at Temple Israel of the City of New York. In a brief but heartfelt naturalization ceremony in Denver, Colorado, 35 individuals from 27 different countries performed the Oath of Allegiance.
After all that time, Jan. 6 was the first day on which I truly understood the commitment I had made in October of 2017. That day, I became a new parent, and American democracy was, from that point on, going to be my child.
How many children do I have? I have three: my son, my daughter and democracy.
Let me tell you how democracy is like my other children. Caring for democracy is dealing with messes and spills everywhere. It’s never-ending playing; it keeps me awake at night; it makes me worry and wonder what I did wrong, and how I can make it better; it is exhausting and frustrating, all while bringing the most joy in my life.
Democracy makes me do a lot of things, even when I don’t want to or when I think I don’t really need to: dancing like nobody’s watching, making silly faces and roaring sounds, doing more listening, less talking and more observing.
Democracy looks at me with piercing eyes, forcing me to look deeper.
But here is where democracy is different from my other children: Democracy has many parents — all of us. And democracy doesn’t grow up.
Democracy remains, in the words of Bob Dylan, forever young. We get older, and grow white hair. As with my other children, if everything goes according to plan, democracy will live to see my burial, and not the other way around.
The night after the riot, as always, I sang lullabies to put the kids to bed. But because it was a particularly exhausting day for democracy, I offered it this special lullaby, along with these words:
Forgive me; I must have been distracted lately and haven’t given you the attention and direction you need. You need to know that I feel your pain. And you need to know that you have hurt me as well. But, dear child, one thing you should know today and always: I will never give up on my children. I will never give up on you. So, sleep tight. You need to rest to wake up and continue doing those things only children can do so naturally: bring more light and joy into the world. Your job is to be a child; I will roll up my sleeves, do the dishes and the laundry and be the parent, to the best of my ability, for your sake and the sake of all the children yet to come.
Sheila Nesis is a cantor and mother of two. She served as Cantor at Temple Sinai in Denver, Colo. from 2014 to 2019. Prior to that, she served progressive congregations in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ariz. She grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.