Do you talk politics to your kids?

My 15yo son is very smart and very aware of the world. He’s online and he has friends who are also aware. So we speak in very broad terms with him and encourage him to just keep away from the news. If there’s something in particular that’s bothering him we address it. Ultimately we assure him that we are a team and we take care of each other no matter what.

As a rule, my wife and I don’t discuss politics or anything nasty news wise in front of the kids. As you said, the innocence of children is sacrosanct. Let them be kids while they can.

Edit: My niece, who lives with us, is clueless on geo-political issues. Her laser focus is grades, tennis & tik-tok dancing.

 

My kids are 44 and 39 and I still try to avoid talking politics with them.

 

Nope. My kids are 11 and 9. Using this forum and Facebook as examples, political talk is just each person yelling at the other side and convincing no one on the other side that your opinion is right. They ask questions when their friends tell them stuff they have heard from their parents (usually extremes on either the left or right side and usually exaggerations) and I answer honestly giving them both sides of the argument, but they do know dad doesn’t like either party very much.

 

I only talk politics with my kids if they ask me my opinion or thoughts. They know where I stand and I have found them mostly asking me why someone may feel differently. I have tried my best to understand the other side of things, but I am finding it harder to justify recent events with a political parties former views on how government should work. So the conversation has shifted from political ideas to how people react when they feel threatened or endangered. Now my two oldest are now in college so I mostly listen to them and their ideas. They don't really ask me my opinion.

 

I don't talk politics with mine but he's only ten. I'm sure the subject will come up and I'll have to refute bs he hears. As a kid, my family never really talked politics at home but I do recall times at school where we would raise our hands in certain classes about who we were voting for. Like a social experiment vs what would actually happen. Most of the kids voted republican and I imagine they were already leaning a certain way because politics was discussed at home.

 

My 6 year old started asking questions about 4 months ago. One pointed question:

“Daddy ... is the president a bad person?”


Like how do I lie to her and say no he’s not a bad person or mean? I try to not have the news on when she’s in the room but it’s unavoidable at times. Even a 6 year old can pick up... yeah that guy just sounds like a jerk.

 

I remember growing up watching the news at 5:30 every day (probably started doing that in late elementary school). I don't think I ever had overt discussions of politics with my parents until high school but I grew up before social media and modern cable news.

I'm fortunate enough to be just old enough to have experienced the time when news came from a few television networks and newspapers because that was much better than the nonsense we have now. I think consuming our news in text form (newspapers and magazines) or within 30 minute prime time news segments is a much healthier practice. The cable stations have fused opinion journalism and news to such a degree that our consumption of news has become laced with an unhealthy dose of emotion.

But kids today don't have that luxury so they're ultimately exposed to partisanship at a really early age which is really sad.

 

My kids are in their mid to upper 20s. The older son doesn't follow politics but listens to conversations. The middle son at one time was wayy too wound up as an anit-trumper. He's mellowed out realizing that you vote and relax. Anything more is wasting your own happiness. The youngest has her opinions but fairly level headed and also listens during discussions. No one ever walks away upset even after a debate.

So overall we all get along very well and have a good family foundation that allows us to have our opinions but doesn't get worked up over politics.

 

My daughter is 13. We have always discussed politics in front of her, but were careful to avoid really upsetting topics. The storming of the Capitol was the first time I felt we had to really engage her directly and explain what had happened. However, I was careful not to let her see the actual video footage. That **** traumatized me as an adult. I don't think I'll ever get over seeing the desecration of that symbol of American democracy. It's pissing me off all over again just typing about it now.

 

Nothing wrong with it if you keep it factual. They are going to grow up into a polarized world of politic, easily accessible, so might as well show them that it’s okay to talk about it and do it factually and respectfully.

With that said, I don’t since they are under 12. But kids know more than you think. Controversial subject on coronavirus (fake, mask choice) and the orange man himself has came up a number of time due to their questions.

 

How we speak and discuss issues with our children matters but it is equally if not more important to understand how they perceive everyone else's consumption and discussion of politics. Our collective framing of issues is so emotional and apocalyptic that children pick up on it and start consuming information with that frame of reference.

And I dont know how to prevent that. Social media, cable news, etc.. all describe politics in ways that are outright poisonous. I worry that we're raising a generation of people who are addicted to disaster p*rnography. As humans it is rather easy to get addicted to apocalyptic rhetoric and discussion of disaster and we're seeing it first hand. Covid has made it a lot worse because people are spending more time on phones and devices and are spending more time sucked into the facebook/youtube algorithms.

 

I was raised in a family that talked about politics and raised my kid talking about politics. In high school and college he used to read my posts on this very bbs.

If not you are just putting them at risk to fall prey to the vicious self interested propaganda that many of the billionaires and rich "preachers" saturate the public with.

 

As a liberal, I read Mao's Little Red Book to my kids at bedtime.

 

I do. She learned about the election through school when they did fake election (pizza vs donuts) and from my right wing mom and in laws that blast foxnews at full volume 24/7 in their homes.

 

I think that most of you have it wrong and really talk with your kids about politics one way or another.

Politics isn't about parties and people only. Laws and directives.

It is about basic values and morals.

Equality, justice, respect to fellow citizens is politics.

But I believe the most important political lesson that a parent must talk with and teach to their child is the responsibillity to vote. Civic duty.

 

My son is 10. Politics nor religion are discussed with me in way of this is what your supposed to think blah blah blah. He can discover how own spirituality and develop his own opinions about politics.

I try instead to teach my son to be empathetic in regards to bullying. He knows I am VERY strict about him ever picking on kids and to realize you don’t know what another child has going on at home and that school may actually be their escape. I teach him about racism, and to simply judge someone on their own merits. Also how to be a good leader. Being very respectful to his teachers and coaches.

Six months ago my mom and I got into a heated conversation about universal healthcare. I did not enjoy it at all.

 

Our two kids are grown and on their own. We talk about politics when the mood strikes us. Since we largely share views on most subjects, they usually aren't difficult conversations. Far from it. If anything, they remind me of how I was at their age, just more mature. ;-)

 

I talk to my dog. He’s a socialist.