Yesterday, ​we talked about why every parent should vote.​ There is so much we don’t control in this world, so much about the future we’re leaving to our kids that’s not up to us. But you know what is up to us?

Our vote. Our decision to participate or not. Your vote might not impact the whole election (although the last election, as mentioned yesterday, ​was decided by just 44,000 people in a few states​ and local elections are decided, often, by just one or two votes), but if everyone thought that their votes didn’t matter…elections wouldn’t happen!

But the trickier question here—at least in America in 2024—is who to vote for. We try not to be partisan here at Daily Dad and we understand many parents are going to have different opinions about different policies. So instead of wading in on that, we thought we’d point out some things that Marcus Aurelius admired in his stepfather, his predecessor as the Emperor of Rome, because it is a timeless and inspiring look at what we should be looking for in our leaders (and the type of person we should be voting for). And it takes on extra resonance when you imagine a young Marcus Aurelius looking up and admiring it, trying to emulate it in his own life.

As Marcus Aurelius writes in the Debts and Lessons section of Meditations in the Hays’ translation, which is full of wisdom for parents to develop the kind of character their children will likewise admire (​every parent should have this edition​):

“That he respected tradition without needing to constantly congratulate himself for Safeguarding Our Traditional Values … Not prone to go off on tangents, or pulled in all directions … his altruism … His dogged determination to treat people as they deserved … Listening to anyone who could contribute to the public good … his willingness to yield the floor to experts and to support them energetically … his modesty and sense of reverence … his restrictions on acclamations—and all attempts to flatter him … his tolerance of people who openly questioned his views and his delight at seeing his ideas improved on work …”

We talk to our kids a lot about character, about values, we want them to live lives of virtue. But when it comes to choosing who will lead us (and them), are we walking the walk?