To be honest, we all impart our political, moral, religious, etc. to our children in the way we live our lives in front of them. I never pretended to be anything other than myself to my kids and they knew precisely where I stood on all things. I gave them the leeway to make their own decisions and they turned out okay. We share similar views on the world. So, yeah why wouldn't we discuss politics.
Hung out for an hour with my older MAGA cousin-neighbors, nobody mentioned politics once, talked about everything but. Hadn't seen them in a while and it was really nice.
My oldest daughter is 27, works for the state of Texas as part of a broader team involved with the FBI, CIA, and DHS. Wickedly intelligent and with strong beliefs. My wife's sister in law sent a text to my daughter that referenced the government taking away rights like free speech from religious believers/conservatives. She also texted her that she probably shouldn't text her (my daughter not texted her aunt) to avoid getting in trouble with the government. While I agree my daughter shouldn't discuss politics with her aunt (or other family members, who share her aunt's beliefs)... my daughter now thinks her aunt is nuts. My wife (who is religious and a conservative) is upset with her sister-in-law and brother (he is also a qanon believer). Not just for spouting Always wonder why right wing people feel it necessary to push their beliefs on others. We go through this every time we get together with my wife's family.
I think the notion that we shouldn't discuss religion or politics is silly. I believe we should discuss it, with our children, family, neighbors. However, it would be nice if we learned how to do it respectfully. We shouldn't personalize the opinions of other people and agree to disagree is a perfectly fine result. If one person likes wine and the other likes beer, it shouldn't devolve into hatred and mistrust, which is what happens with politics/religion. All that said, progressives and conservatives in this country were divided at a base level when we wrote the constitution, which lead to the civil war, which lead to the storming of the capital a few weeks ago. When one side comes to the table with inherent hatred for the other side, it's hard to strike up a convo about who has the best chicken sandwich. So yea, I talk to my kids about hatred and politicians (or others) that harbor that. I don't talk about it to co-workers cause what people "should" do and what they "actually" do are two different things. People shouldn't take crap personally, but they do, and it's not worth losing my job to make a point while standing at the coffee machine.
This is the exactly what I do with my 8 and 9 year old. When they ask about politics or religion I tell them my opinion and explain that it is an opinion and that they will need to figure out for themselves what they believe. I warn them that others will tell them their opinions are facts and to always make up their own minds and not take anything at face value. We also talk about Occams Razor and crazy things they see on YouTube or hear from their friends isn’t likely to be true. We’ve talked about the danger of conspiracy theories and the importance of checking facts. Most importantly we talk about being a good person and standing up for yourself and for others. How life is a gift and you must enjoy everyday regardless of the ups and downs. I visited my off the rails Trumper parents last weekend. My Mom told me that it is a fact that without Trump China will be taking over this country in less than 7 years. This will be accomplished as the 25th amendment will be invoked removing Biden and Kamala is a known Communist who will facilitate the Chinese takeover.... apparently that is the story on NewsMax....
I've always talked about everything with my kids and they're now 18 and 20. Why wouldn't you. If you don't include them in conversations about the reality of the world they just may end up in a MAGA cult just because their friends are in it. Same with drugs. Give them the reality of the situation not some "drugs are bad emmkay" BS. Raise them right, support and encourage them to do the right thing, and then let it play out.
Perhaps there is a disconnect... I talk to my wife and daughters about all topics including politics and religion. I don't care to discuss politics with my wife's family... as they have extreme positions that usually result in heated arguments and hurt feelings. I was also offended when my sister-in-law texted her extreme political thinking to my daughter.
Amen When my boys asked me if I ever experimented with drugs when I was young, I told them, "No, I did not experiment with drugs. We were in to full blown research in the 70's."
