A father teaches a son

By Stephanie Vallejo, Globe correspondent

WASHINGTON -- President Obama's inauguration was more than a significant day in American history; for some politically-minded parents, it was the ultimate teachable moment.

Bearded, bespectacled David Cherelin, 45, and his 6-year-old son Pahz, of Rochester, N.Y., stopped to decorate a sign sponsored by Wehopeforchange.org, filling in the blank: “Mr. President, I hope for _____. Let’s make it happen!”

Just outside the parade route perimeter on H Street, Cherelin and a circle of charmed bystanders trained their cameras on Pahz as he knelt on the cold asphalt, slowly spelling out “peace” and “justice” in bright markers at his father’s coaxing.

Cherelin voted for Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney in November, but is pleased with the outcome of the election. He made the trip to offer his young son “certain images and memories” from what he called “the biggest historical event" in his lifetime. " I couldn’t pass on it,” he said.

Father and son hopped on one of the buses chartered by Rochester for Obama, arriving in the capital at 3 a.m. today morning and heading immediately to the mall.

Twelve hours later, Pahz admitted he felt “tired and cold,” but had a smile on his face as he punctuated his poster with a peaceful picture: under a red-clouded sky, a yellow stick figure standing on spiky green grass putting down his gun.