Politics and Children

Recently I have read several articles about the political campaigning that is occurring throughout the country. Inevitably the article features a quote from a parent who dragged their kid along to listen to the candidate of the parents choosing. The quotes are almost always from a Democrat gathering and very rarely from a Republican rally.

The quotes are revealing in many ways, as is the fact that it is almost always a Democrat gathering. The parent gives a glowing review of the candidate, and how much the child learned from the candidates’ presentation. The truth is that the parent does a disservice to the child when it is decided to only see Democratic candidates, and not provide the child with a balance approached to politics.

If we as parent choose to be impartial educators we owe it to our children to separate our opinions and biases and let our children find the answers themselves. But it is important for us to challenge our children to look deeper than the headlines or the status quo. For example, if your child is in favor ending the war in Iraq, put them to task. Have them think through a solution, and point out their strengths or weakness on an issue.

Another comment I found frightening while reading one of these articles was a parent wanted to know why children couldn’t vote. What is missing in children, and for that matter many adults, is a strong understanding of our electoral process. With very few exceptions, they lack the maturity needed to vote beyond the emotional response. There are pro’s and con’s to every issue. We as voters forget that. We need to dig deeper, beyond statements like “ I will end the war in Iraq” or “I will continue the war on terror.” Most children lack the discipline required to push each issue to an educated conclusion.

Too often we as adults let our prejudices drive our child’s developments. It is not our task to breed more Democrats or Republicans. It is our responsibility to create well informed thinkers.