I think it will be hard for kids to stay up past 9 o’clock but for parents who think it’s worth it for them to see the State of the Union address, I thought it might be useful to remind them that gun control will be a major topic. Hadiya Pendelton’s parents have been invited to sit with Michelle Obama at tonight’s speech while an arrest in the teen’s murder is expected to take place tonight back in Chicago. Pendelton is the 15 year old who sang at President Obama’s inauguration and was slain just weeks later in a gang shooting that was reportedly a case of mistaken identity. 

Depending on your child’s age, that may be okay for them to follow. But for those too young for that, there will surely be lines that you can share with them based on common truths and goals that we all have for our country. That we need to find our way. That we can. That America is a land of innovation and opportunity. And tolerance.