Most mornings, I walk my son next door and stand with the other parents, awaiting the bell to ring and for our children to head into their elementary school. And, most mornings, the conversations I have with the other parents as we wait are apolitical, focused on what we did over the weekend, where we’re heading to that day, or what’s happening that week at the school. But, after the election, those conversations changed. With a simple look or a shake of the head, mothers and fathers expressed their shock at the election and who “we” elected.

Just a few days post-election, the Women’s March on Washington began popping up all over facebook, including a page for a CT Chapter. I went to town, trying to share the page with as many “friends” on facebook as I could, some of whom are parents at the school. When I arrived for morning drop off that next day, one of the moms who I have become friends with through our children’s friendship asked me about it. “Are you going to march?” I answered without hesitation, “yes, I’ll be there. Are you?” She agreed. And just like that, a new normal began at the elementary school.

On Friday of last week, that new normal reached a beautiful crescendo as moms walked their children to school wearing pink hats.  At the school, there were hugs and words of encouragement and overall excitement for those of us heading to DC, Boston, NYC, and Hartford. That evening/early Saturday morning, many of us boarded buses for DC at a local park & ride. The excitement continued to rise as women recognized each other– maybe our kids had played together on a sports teams, or we once worked together, or we belonged to the same gym.

There is something so powerful about coming together to stand for the world we want for ourselves, each other, and our children. I hope that this new normal continues and that we discuss social issues instead of marking them political, and therefore private. We certainly won’t agree all of the time and there’s definitely going to be moments where it’s uncomfortable, but by talking and putting ourselves out there, we see that we have more in common than we ever could have imagined. Thank you to all those who helped make history on Saturday. Together, we certainly are stronger.