This election season, please don’t ignore your kids! Instead, try teaching them how MUCH their vote matters.
As the yard signs started popping up in our neighborhood, so did the questions from my back seat. This election season has fueled passionate responses and representation from both parties. And it has shown up full force in our Midwestern town. My kids have noticed.
This has prompted them to ask us some hard-hitting questions. There is no better way to discover how you feel about a heated political issue than to explain your viewpoint to your children. The children whose futures will be directly impacted by the outcome of these elections. It makes you dig deep, and, dare I say, look at issues more closely.
My husband and I discuss these big issues in front of our children. We explain our stances {which don’t always align} on issues like climate change, Black Lives Matter, and public education. We don’t make it too heavy, but kids are curious as to how their parents feel. There are times when they see their parents respectfully disagree. Even during our disagreements, we try very hard to present both sides of the issue.
Here is a list of teachable topics that have come up surrounding elections in our recent car rides:
- What is a political party?
- Differences in the Democratic and Republican Party.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s contributions to women’s rights
- How does the Supreme Court work?
- Importance of a Supreme Court Judge nominee
- The voting process
- Why the candidates hold debates
Hands down the most important topic we have discussed is how their vote matters! Their voices matter! They can evoke change in the leadership at the National and Local levels by just exercising their rights.
I take my children to the polls every time I go. I want them to see the process, and feel the excitement. I want them to know that it is a civic duty that Mom takes very seriously.
The last time we left the polls, a sweet volunteer handed my children their own stickers. My kids were carefully placing their “I voted” stickers on their little jackets when I heard my daughter exclaim “I can’t wait until I get to really vote.” This is the lesson I want them to learn.