Would you vote an 18 year old to the school board? Did you even know that an 18 year old could run for public office?  What about voting a 20 year old to be your mayor?

Jason Pollock, film-maker, writer, activist and twitter fanatic (@Jason_Pollock) just released a movie called “The Youngest Candidate” in partnership with Oscar winning producer Lawrence Bender (“Inconvenient Truth” and “Pulp Fiction”), Worldwide Pants (David Letterman’s Studio) and Balance Vector Productions.  Here’s the trailer:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDsrugUQs30]

The film is about the few remarkable teenagers who have the passion to run for public office despite their youth, inexperience, and the cynicism directed towards them.  This documentary follows four boys and girls who are coming of age through the electorial process.  It captures their exuberant enthusiasm, unbending idealism, and the unfettered passion of youth.  These brave young politicians face ridicule on every front, but persevere through to election day.

The topic that Pollock covers in this documentry is fascinating, but what I find even more intriguing is the preciousness of unbriddled optimism, passion, and idealism that comes with youth.  Those of us who are able to maintain this through the curve balls that life throws our way are the ones who will be able to rise beyond ourselves.  Unfortunately, these qualities are often beaten out of us by life circumstances or by well and not so well meaning adults well before we enter our teens.

As a first time entrepreneur chasing after a dream, I find myself identifying in many ways with these young passionates.   Before starting Trekaroo slightly over a year ago when we decided to jump in with two feet, our hearts, our paycheck, and bank account, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the merciless challenges that would face us daily as entrepreneurs.   Without the same unbriddled optimism that these teens possess to face the seemingly insurmountable, we would have given up even before launching Trekaroo.  Recession or no recession, being an entrepreneur is both the most exhilarating and nerve wrecking thing I’ve ever done in my life.  It is also a journey our family could never have persevered along without family and friends.  Family who have indulged our dreams, sometimes blindly, but most of the time by biting back their fears and instead choosing to help us.

As parents, most of us want our children to believe that they can accomplish anything.  We offer countless words of encouragement starting when our little ones can barely rollover.  We make personal sacrifices to ensure that our kids receive an education that puts them in good standing on the path to success.  Some of us practically sell our souls to provide our children with every opportunity to discover their unique talents and passions. At the same time, we also have a strong urge to shield them from any disappointment, ridicule, failure, and poverty.  Essentially, we tell our kids to reach for the sky but as soon as we think the sky is too high, we pull down heavy rain clouds to drown out their dreams. What a paradox!

When I picture myself as a parent to one of these young candidates, I just know that I’d be the one trying to adjust my child’s expectations or attempting to talk him into a smaller dream.  Of course, failure is painful. But as with most jourynes, it’s not the final desitnation that matters most, rather it’s about the lessons we learn on the road through struggling and overcoming challenges. The faith to embark on new and unknown journeys is something we are born with, but it is delicate. I believe that as parents, we should take great care to guard it.

“…we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope…” Romans 5:3

“Ma Ma?  I found your website!” squeals my 3 year old with pure delight.  I look up from my keyboard.  It takes me a few minutes to process the following:

1) How does a 3 year old know the word “website”

2) How can a 3 year old find a website?

I look over at him puzzled and see that in his hand is a grubby piece of scrap paper (we seem to always be drowning in scrap paper).  Tilting my head slightly, I realized that on the back of it is an old screen grab print out of Trekaroo several iterations old being waved excitedly in the air.

Our kids seem to have totally embraced everything about Trekaroo – begging to write reviews (Read: Review of San Francisco Zoo from our 5 year old), taking photos, taking care of our mascot kangaroo and playing poster child for our website.

Trekaroo has found its way into every aspect of our family life….down to the inbetween spaces of our piles of magazines and art supplies.

I have a new goal!  That Trekaroo would become as much a household name in the lives of families across the country as it is in ours.  One day, families won’t even think about planning a trip without first checking the inside scoop from other parents on Trekaroo.

Now….I just have to find more 3 year evangelists to spread the word.

Today, we filed our taxes and I’ve come to question whether our government is serious about encouraging entrepreneurship.  As parents and entrepreneurs, it’s unfortunate that our tax laws do nothing to encourage entrepreneurship among hardworking moms and dads like ourselves.

Let me elaborate…

Trekaroo is a bootstrapped startup.  When Brennan, Esther and I started Trekaroo, we decided that we’d bootstrap it instead of raising large amounts of angel funding and venture capital.  We all feel passionately about what we are building in Trekaroo and are willing to put in sweat equity for no income.  However, to do what we do, we’ve had to pay for some childcare.  Childcare in the bay area can easily add up to over $2000 a month for two kids.  Well, there is this wonderful tax deduction that working dual income families can take advantage of call the Child and Dependent Care Credit.  However, I was so disappointed to learn this week that the law states that in order to take advantage of this credit, both mom and dad need to have made income in the year they want to claim that credit.  Furthermore, the size of the credit is measured as a percentage of your income (35%)). As an entrepreneurial mom and dad duo, we’re in tough luck under this tax law.  While we badly need the tax credit considering our minuscule income for 2008, we really can’t benefit from the credit at all.  Since neither of us received any income from Trekaroo, we do not even qualify for the tax credit.  Secondly,  35% of our total income would barely cover what we’ve had to pay for childcare.

So, I ask, why does the tax law not seek to encourage the entrepreneurial endeavors of moms and dads? If congress wants to encourage entrepreneurship, bootstrapping visionaries like ourselves should be given even more tax breaks.

Tax Girl critises this tax law for other reasons: The Child and Dependet Care Credit Sucks