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Callisto, there seems to be a contradiction in your statements about your daughter. On the one hand you say, she is "a 10-year-old who has more political and economic understanding than most adults," and yet you say she is "very sheltered" and does not know about the "birds and the bees." How can a 10-year-old have anything close to a mature understanding of politics and the economy without an understanding of sexuality, marriage and abortion? If she is all that sheltered, and you want to keep her that way, you might consider keeping her off the internet, and/or monitoring her very closely. If she is as mature politically as you suggest, then that implies she knows more about sexuality than you think but probably avoids the topic with you because she sees it makes you uncomfortable. In which case, she will talk to others about sexuality before she comes to you -- not a good thing. Again, my two cents. Take it for what it's worth.

As far as my child marching in DC, research has shown that children learn primarily through modeling behavior -- imitating the behavior of others. When children see violence on TV, the great danger is that they will model the behavior of the characters who they identify with, and become violent themselves (this has been demonstrated empirically in many, many experimental and correlational studies). But when they identify with the VICTIM (e.g., an aborted fetus), the witness of this kind of violence REDUCES the tendency toward violence and heightens sensitivity to the moral dimensions of reality. So, when my son or anybody's child sees the repercussions of abortion, and identifies with the victim (and they will), they immediately understand the moral gravity of the situation. They are "naturally" pro-life and will remain that way unless they are educated out of it by liberal education. In addition by taking the child on a march, the children are also able to model the protestors who are standing up for the right to life of innocents who are unable to protect themselves. For the child, this is an invaluable lesson that is priceless and a stimulant for character growth and moral development.

I would bet my monthly paycheck that those kids who go to marches are far less likely to commit crimes or to fall into teen pregnancy once they hit their teen years. Note: not just because of the marches, but because of the parents who discuss with their children the moral complexities of life and how to think about them properly within a strongly principled ethics.