Youngkin listens and cares

Dear Editor:

A few days ago, I met Glenn Youngkin, who is running for Governor of Virginia. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Paige, tell me what’s on your heart?” An unusual question for a politician, but not for a neighbor or friend— which makes sense since Glenn is not a career politician.

Glenn, a father of four, reminds me of one of my son’s football coaches. You know, the one that cared about every kid on the team. The coach that sees your kid’s potential, and they are better for it. That’s how you feel when you talk to Glenn.

What happened next is rare in politics: he listened.

Two years of struggles tumbled out of me. I told him about the lack of control over my children’s education, and the vulnerable children I love like my own. Boys who sit at my kitchen table worried about their education, or lack thereof.

My son has friends from every socioeconomic background. I know how much these boys have really struggled, and their mothers feel helpless. So many are barely making it and don’t know how to help their children.  

Instead of debating policies that further divide us, we should be embracing each other’s differences like my son did when he waited to eat until sundown to support his Muslim friend during Ramadan.   

The debate of educational theories at school board meetings, and 13 months out of the classroom not only failed my children but crippled the most vulnerable among us. 

I told Glenn about these boys and many children like them falling years behind while school boards debate race theories and analyze injustice—unwilling to address the injustice happening every single day; children and their mothers falling farther and farther behind, and no one sees or hears them.  A father first, Glenn nodded with concern, took notes, and listened.

Tears sprung from my eyes as I recalled the helplessness I felt with my own boy. For 13 months of virtual learning, I watched him deteriorate. My teenage boy needed friends and football. 

While we watched other states educate, Virginia continued to isolate. No one listened. Kids quickly understood that in Virginia their opinions didn’t matter. My children felt powerless, and it was heartbreaking to watch. I told all of this and much more to Glenn, and he listened. He understood.

When I finished, Glenn said, “Paige, I hear you. We need to work on solutions so that every voice feels heard. We have to work together.”

Virginians deserve a leader who puts children first and knows that empowering parents will make a bigger difference in a child’s life. 

As Virginians we are beautifully diverse, and no voices should be marginalized. Now more than ever, Virginia needs a governor who partners with parents, making every child a priority. We need Glenn Youngkin for Governor.

Paige Marriott

Leesburg