Voting may be the most important
action we take as citizens of the United States.
How we go about making the
decisions of who or what we vote for or against, can be like an episode in
"I Love Lucy", "The Daily Show" and/ or "Fox
News". And how our great/grandchildren
see us struggle with the decisions will be an important part of how they
in-turn take on this mighty task when it is their turn.
This political season has been
particularly raw this year. How we talk
about it with our great/grandchildren seems especially important this
season. How we react to the situations
such as the TV debates can be difficult.
It is almost like watching football, where we are encouraged to raise our
voices for the "home team" and put down the visitors. Often,
at dinner the subject of the election may come up and
we may make dire remarks about the outcome if one candidate is elected and
another is denied. That is what happens!
Children need to feel that voting
can make a difference in how their world can be safe
for them, their family and
friends. They need to feel reassured that the adults in their life will take
action to protect them, despite some of the ill-chosen declarations of some
candidates. And all of this needs to
happen while you suspend some of your anger,
disbelief and dislike of what is being said and try to add
some dignity and calmness to the act of voting. Sharing your values helps
children decipher the political map. Encourage children to participate in any
political discussions in which they are present. They may have better ideas than the
candidates.
Remember, voting is the most
important action you can take as an American citizen.
After this was written, we saw a very similar article posted in the LA Times...enjoy
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0208-jacobs-republican-debates-scare-children-20160208-story.html
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