Parents Everywhere Tell Their Kids A Woman CAN Be President

Parents react as Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic presidential nominee

Well, it’s official: Hillary Clinton is the first female presidential nominee for a major political party, and history has been made.

Clinton was declared the presumptive nominee by the Associated Press and many other media outlets on Monday, but she waited until after votes had been cast in Tuesday’s scheduled primaries to celebrate her historic victory. Now the votes are in, and regardless of your stance on Clinton’s politics, you have to admit, this is a pretty big fucking deal.

In a speech to supporters at the Duggal Greenhouse at Brooklyn Navy Yard, Clinton acknowledged the magnitude of her achievement, saying, “Thanks to you we’ve reached a milestone: the first time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party’s nominee. Tonight’s victory is not about one person. It belongs to generations of women and men who struggled and sacrificed and made this moment possible.”

Clinton also thanked her mother, who died in 2011, acknowledging how much she wished they could share this momentous occasion. “I wish my mother could be here tonight,” she said. “I wish she could see what a wonderful mother Chelsea has become and could meet our beautiful granddaughter, Charlotte. And, of course, I wish she could see her daughter become the Democratic party’s nominee.”

Hillary’s mom would’ve been extremely proud, and thousands of mothers and fathers around the country felt the same pride as they watched the speech with their own children and celebrated this gigantic sucker punch to the White House’s glass ceiling. Here’s what they had to say:

When I was kid, a female president seemed like a pipe dream. In the history of the United States, only 313 women have ever served as senators, representatives, or delegates. Only three women have ever held the office of Secretary of State. Only four women have ever served on the Supreme Court. I always hoped for a female president, but I knew the road to the nomination would be treacherous, and made even more difficult by the sexism and double standards that still plague the way we view most female politicians — and successful women in general.

Now, I’m so proud to know my kids are growing up in a world where a female in the White House is not just wishful thinking or something we hope to accomplish someday, but a real possibility. Whether you’re with her or not, Clinton is an incredibly successful, qualified, and intelligent politician, and her nomination sends a message to all of our kids that yes, women can do anything. Yes, women have a seat at the table. And yes, women kick ass.