MOM + POP H OW TO TALK TO YO U R K I D S A B O U T PO L I T I C S (And How Not To) By Luke Gialanella So, your kids are asking you about what’s going on in the news and you don’t know what to tell them. Politics is a difficult subject to tackle on your own, let alone with a child in today’s political climate. Here’s a handy guide for talking to your kids about politics, and how not to — written by a 16-year-old high schooler with a passion for educating young children about government and civics
Remain unbiased and teach your kids to be tolerant of others. One of the most important things to remember when discussing politics with your children is that you are only teaching them about the issues, not how to feel about them. They must be able to come to their own conclusions and express their own views without any undue influence from others. While you may hope that you and your child share political values, it is crucial that you allow them to form their own value sets and ideologies, so that when they come of age, they will be independent members of the political stratosphere, voting for and advocating for policies they support. Remember, kids are smarter than you think. If engaged in discussion often, they can understand basic and complex political concepts and issues and just as easily have their own opinions. understand basic and complex political concepts and issues and just as easily have their own opinions.
23
