I know what you’re thinking. There’s no way watching the State of the Union Address could ever be fun. You’re wrong and we’ll get to one way to make it more fun in just a moment. But first, let’s address the three main reasons why people don’t watch the State of the Union Address in the first place.
Reason #1: You don’t think it’s important, so why would you want to watch it? Perhaps you don’t realize that the State of the Union address is actually a constitutional mandate (Article II, Section 3, Clause I)? It states that the president must address Congress from “time to time” (annually has become the tradition) on the current condition of our nation. The Speaker of the House sends a formal invitation to the president every year to speak to Congress. When the president shows up, the Sergeants at Arms will announce him, members of his party rush to shake his hand. Thus will begin an evening that’s more important—and far more fascinating—than most citizens realize.
Reason #2: You don’t agree with the current president’s politics and therefore you have zero interest in what he has to say. I mean, I get it. But what if you looked at it differently. If you don’t think a president is leading our country down the right path, wouldn’t you want to pay even more attention to his plans? If you wholeheartedly disagree with an elected official’s policies, wouldn’t you want to amp up your civic engagement and keep tabs on what they’re up to? Plus, the office of the presidency is bigger than any one person. So regardless of who is in office, the chance to see democracy in action, the one moment a year where all three branches of government convene, is an opportunity we should all take.
Reason #3: You have a choice. Gone are the days when whatever you were watching on TV was taken over by the State of the Union Address for two solid hours. There was no changing the channel because every channel was airing it. But now, you can skip watching it altogether and watch pretty much whatever you want on whatever streaming service you want. Plus, you know a recap of the address will be online mere minutes after it airs.
So why would you want to watch it? Well, how about for all those reasons listed above and more? It really is important and interesting no matter who the president is. And you really can not only choose to watch it even when a hundred other things seem more fun but also learn something as well. Plus, it’s important for our kids to get in the habit of watching it too.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t help it be more fun than it might be otherwise.
Enter State of the Union BINGO. Get your cards here!
SOTU Bingo is a longstanding tradition at my house and even some of yours now. The Bingo card is filled with keywords (that change every year) we think the president has a good shot at saying in his address. So you have to pay attention to listen for them.
So, get your Bingo cards. Print them off for your family and turn the State of the Union into a little game night. Or, if you’d rather, you can play virtual Bingo where you can mark off the keywords right on your device’s screen. Maybe this will make watching the State of the Union fun . . . or at least get you and your kids to pay attention. If you want to be really patriotic, you can use red, white, and blue candies as your Bingo chips. Perhaps the night’s winner will be treated to ice cream (reportedly one of the president’s favorite foods).
If State of the Union Bingo isn’t enough, how about making a presidential meal to go along with it? We’ve got dozens to choose from right here—everything from George Washington’s onion soup (kind of like French Onion) to LBJ’s chili to the Bush’s TexMex to Jill Biden’s chicken parm.
If you decide to make watching the State of the Union address a little bit more fun, take a picture and tag us on Instagram @TheAmericanMoms. We hope watching it with your family becomes a new tradition for you.
