6-Year-Old Learns Valuable Civics Lesson in Letter to Governor

Mikayla Brunton is a quiet 6-year-old girl, who had a lot to say to Gov. Greg Abbott about how her week is divided between school and play.

"Every Sunday night we would have the same conversation," recalled Mikayla's mom, Jennifer Land. "(She would say) 'Mommy, I don't want to go to school tomorrow.'"

"I'm just not ready," Mikayla explained. "Because it's been two days, and the days go by fast."

Her mom had an idea.

"I told her that complaining wasn't going to do anything about it. If you really wanted to change something like that, you should write a letter to your governor," Land said.

She didn't think Mikayla would actually do it.

Mikayla's letter said she was wondering if the weekend could be five days long, pointing out that the work week and school week were five days long, and a shorter weekend didn't seem fair.

"I wrote it to the governor because he makes the rules," Mikayla explained.

Much to her mother's surprise, Abbott wrote back.

The governor said he realized sometimes the school week can seem too long and weekends too short, but he encouraged Mikayla to keep up with her education and "continue making your voice heard on issues that are important to you," he wrote.

"It gave her the confidence that what she can do matters," Land said. "Even though she is little, her little voice can still be heard."