Kids and Politics
Our kids begin learning about historical President’s and their legacies in early elementary school and continue throughout their entire school career with classes related to History and Government. But when should parents begin discussing politics with their children?
Try as I might to encourage my kids to develop their own opinions where politicians are concerned, there are times when I can’t refrain from engaging conversation in our home on one matter or another.
One Senator from Indiana has really captured our attention and our hearts in several ways over the years. While we’d hoped early on that we’d see his name gracing a Presidential ballot in 2008, he announced before Christmas that he would not be running in the 2008 election. We were saddened by this and were thrust into a state of indecisiveness.
With my twins turning 15 next month and my stepson turning 14, it occurred to me that they’ll be casting their own votes in 2012 and should perhaps begin to establish their own political position as a sort of a trial run during this election.
As much as I’ll always treasure my grandpa threatening to haunt me from his afterlife if I ever voted any way but his way, I can’t rightfully do that to my own kids. I want them to become independent thinkers and informed voters. I want them to determine what issues are important to them and learn how to track a candidates voting records on those issues.
When my twins were very small and I was a struggling single mother, barely getting by on under $200 per week, I desperately needed the help child support would provide – but hit dead ends everywhere I’d turn. I didn’t have the money to seek legal representation only to have the father still not pay as he had before. In my frustration, I wrote a letter to Senator Evan Bayh. I knew he couldn’t do a whole lot to help, but the man stepped up and rose above the call of duty on my behalf. Thanks to him and his office, I’ve been receiving child support ever since and my case is reviewed quite often. The father has a body attachment warrant on him which means if he doesn’t pay so much by a certain date, he get’s a nice little escort to the county jail.
In October 2004, I took my boys to meet Senator Bayh. I’ll never forget how important my boys felt when he took the time to carry on a personal conversation with my set of twins about his set of twins. They discussed sports and random fun stuff.
As my luck would have it, my camera was dead. The photo you see here was taken by Sentator Bayh’s assistant who got the photos developed and sent a personal copy to each of the boys via U.S. mail with a note on official Senator Evan Bayh stationary.
It’s this kind of effort that I want my kids to see and hold sacred when they make a decision to cast their own valuable vote!
What sort of things have you done to prepare your children for their own future of voting? Do they realize just how precious their right to vote is?
