If you haven't noticed by the campaign yard signs, bumper stickers, billboard ads, commercials and social media bonanza; election season is here! Early voting has started and the countdown is on for November 3.
Regardless of how you vote, what your political beliefs are, or what you think of the outcome, you know as well as I do media outlets including social media feeds everywhere are blowing up with personal attacks, angry soliloquies, and even racially charged language as people deal with the aftermath of the 2016 election and now less than two years later as we prepare for our local elections.
So, I asked myself the question "How am I shaping or influencing my children's beliefs in a positive way? What America do I want my children to grow up in." No matter the age of your children, the election season can be a great conversation starter with your kids about their choices, their behavior, and ultimately why they believe what they believe. Effective ways to talk to you kids do exist - whether you have a pint-sized preschooler, curious tween or someone in between.
Is it all bad? No, if you dig you can find hope, compromise, understanding, civility and brotherly love. As parents and grandparents, it is our job to shape the life lessons we want our kids to learn. Don't sit back and let media shape your kids/grandkids worldviews! Take the time to listen to their beliefs and be ready to answer any question they may have for you. Children learn by example, and I'm not so sure some of the examples they have witnessed this past year have taught them lessons I would like them to learn. In the end, you are shaping your kids' integrity, character, empathy, conviction, and so much more!
I LOVE Kid President. His videos are inspiring for kids of all ages, including adults.
5 Life Lessons I Want My Kids to Learn From Politics
1. Talk About It
When watching commercials or debates, discuss the candidates, the issues, their platform and their behavior with your kids. Talk about what you believe and why. Ask your kids what they think and how they feel. Follow-up by asking if they know why they feel the way they feel. What does it mean to be conservative versus progressive? What's all this talk about taxes? Engaging kids in this way helps them to develop their own opinions and express their ideas. One great recommendation is to keep the conversation positive. Don't feel threatened as a parent if your child may have a different opinion or perspective than you.
2. Win humbly and lose gracefully
My husband and I are severely competitive and our two kids have definitely inherited this gene to some degree. This is one reason why we don't do family game night very much! The night usually ends with tears and stomps to the bedroom. I have seen my kids blaming each other, us as parents, or making excuses when they lose. Why do kids stoop to this level? They are human and if we really take a look at our selves, we see the exact same tendencies with work, marriage, church, and more! I want my kids to give 100% effort, but also to understand you can't win all the time. Let me admit, I believe #1 is a principle I am still learning as an adult.
I love watching a post-game interview and the interviewed player acknowledges and praises his teammates for not only his success but the team's success. I also admire when the winning coach acknowledges the opposing team's coach, team's hard work, and playability. I have tried to teach my kids that humility is all about respect and thinking of other people's feeling and emotions before your own. Winning humbly doesn't mean you can't be happy, but it does mean not rubbing it in your opponent's face.
I hate to lose and it's even harder to see my kids lose and take it to heart. In the same way as winning, losing is about how we treat others. I have used our losing moments as motivation to work, study, and practice harder the next time.
3. Be An Active Listener.... even to those who disagree with you
In our house of four, many times we each have our own different opinion about what to do for fun, what to eat for dinner, and what to watch on TV. You don't have to look far to see how our society's different opinions have shaped our culture from different church denominations, opinions on lifestyle choices, the homes we live in and more! It's important to teach our children how to really listen to understand others. Listening does not mean you have to agree with that person or change your own opinion, but it does mean being open to listen to understand.
4. Choose Kindness
In today's world, it is sometimes difficult to choose kindness. However, I believe from all five lessons, this is the one I want my kids to strive for the most! If they can choose to be kind, humility, grace, listening love all will flow after. We recently watched the movie "Wonder" in our home and I love the author's call to action of "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind."
5. Change Begins With You
More than likely we do not have the influence or power to change others' political opinions, favorite television shows, and sometimes religious beliefs. I want my kids to learn they can control their attitude and influence for good. I love the quote, "To know that they can change the world for good by being the good in the world," which does not always equate to doing the big, grand gestures. Sometimes it's in the little things such as sitting with someone who is alone at the lunchroom table, playing with a kid during recess that is a loner, smiling to a stranger, to be kind. I encourage my kids every morning to be the light in a dark world because you never know the impact you may have on someone else!
And one more Kid President video!
I am a firm believer parents, yes parents, should be the shapers of our kids. Check politeness as the door when you talk to your kids about religion, sex, and politics. I want my kids to hear it from me and my husband and not in conversations elsewhere. There are so many great resources out there to help you start, engage and encourage you through these type of conversations. Don't let fear or busyness keep you distracted from what is important.
Don't think you have to stop here. Really dive deep if you want. Do you and your kids understand our U.S. Constitution and our freedoms and rights as Americans?
PBS has several great online resources including Constitution USA.
Go over your local ballot and the candidates. Explain the voting process to your kids. Take them to the polls with you. Here's some information about the upcoming election process.
