Elections:
A Teachable Moment
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It’s hard to protect our children from the barrage
of political ads. In some homes the interest of the parent is so great that the
ads and the political talk shows fill the air. On the other hand, this
situation can be an important teachable moment for our children. While we might
like our children to share our values, it is wise to also help them understand why
we hold these values and to understand that even people who disagree with us
are not necessarily evil.
Depending upon the age of the child we can start
with the idea that people have different ideas about how to create a good
community or solve problems. Even little ones can understand that people choose
others to make decisions about what is good for our community. They can
understand that by our vote we try to choose people we think will make good
decision. It’s important, in child terms, to communicate why we are choosing a
certain candidate.
Children already tend to see things in black and
white, so a little effort at moderation may help them be aware of some of the
shades of meaning in the political arena. We can help them see that people
sometimes get angry and agitated, so much so that they don’t think about
reasons, but that reasons for our choices are really important.
Since one of our children may choose another path
or marry into a family with different political inclinations, it is good that
they know how to respect the viewpoints of others and, when appropriate, to express
their own viewpoints in a thoughtful and reasoned way.
Many of us have taken part in family events where
our main challenge was biting our tongues.
I believe this is one of those born in temperamental qualities – the
ability to listen to what we consider utter nonsense and not call the speaker
out. Even those not so predisposed can learn to hold their tongue when a
pointless argument would ruin a family event. And if that can’t be achieved
then our goal might the ability to state a point and back it up with reasons --
reasons other than, “Your idea is utter nonsense.”
It is equally important to help our children
understand that many worthwhile goals can be accomplished outside the political
arena. If our values lead us to care for those who are poor or disadvantaged,
we can show our children by our actions that we as individuals can make a
difference. We can donate or work at a food bank. We can gather books or
clothing for children in need. We can visit senior centers with flowers,
goodies and the time to listen.
Years ago there was a song from the musical “Hair” that was a good reminder. The line was, “Do you only care about the bleeding crowd? How about a needing friend?” Groups and movements do have power, but so do individuals in the many small steps that improve the lives of others near them. Most of us have a needing friend, and if our children see us care for that friend, they might learn as much as they could from any political conversation.
Years ago there was a song from the musical “Hair” that was a good reminder. The line was, “Do you only care about the bleeding crowd? How about a needing friend?” Groups and movements do have power, but so do individuals in the many small steps that improve the lives of others near them. Most of us have a needing friend, and if our children see us care for that friend, they might learn as much as they could from any political conversation.