It always amazes me how much our kids pick up from adults…. and explaining things going on around us is tough. I believe strongly in letting my kids decide, but I’m sure our decisions bleed over too…. We try in everything to look up and have sources. This was a discussion with my little one though about what the atmosphere is like at school around the election.
My youngest (8) said that several of his friends are voting for Donald Trump (I read that as their parents though one is voting for Donald Duck because he likes the name) and I asked if they discussed why and he said his friends told him because Hillary Clinton lies more…. So we discussed it, and I pulled up polifacts and we talked about how to read the charts showing the number of lies each has told from True facts to Pants on Fire lies. He was pretty impressed and figured out the chart quickly. (#soproudofmyson) So then we had to discuss why his friends parents may feel that way, and the only thing I could tell him was that my thought was because Hillary Clinton made her job politics some people assume politicians lie all the time, like people just assume that scientist like physicist and mathemeticians are geniuses because of what they do, that people on welfare aren’t intelligent, or that athletes are fast runners (I was having a hard time with examples..) #butitried Explaining to an 8 year old is not easy! Especially if your family believes in respect everyone, make your own decisions, and education.
We did use this as a learning moment on how to read graphs, and I’m really hoping all goes well today. My little one will go with me today to vote and will see more of the system. I’m hoping he will see the good in people!