Do your young children know your political views?

I'm just surprised that my daughter came home with a handout about what the president does and it had a picture of trump on it and she colored things all over his face. I asked why she did that and she said because her friend said he's a mean person and the worst president in the world and no one should like him. (They are seven so we're talking drawing boogers in his nose and pimples haha)

I've never talked politics in front of my kids (they are young) but I was just curious what age did you share your views, if ever?

Do your young children know your political views?

My DD who is 5 knows I was a Hillary supporter and am not happy about Donald Trump winning. After the election it was hard to hide my emotions so I explained it to her. I try not to call him an orange Cheetoh in front of her. LOLOL. I try to teach her that you are supposed to respect the office of the presidency but its REALLLLLLLLY hard.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Mine are in middle school and they know how their dad and i feel (even though we are divorced still same political views). They dont like trump either and 13yo DD has come home from her good friends house telling me how uncomfortable she was because the friends dad is a big Trump supporter

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

I have discussed it with my kids because it is impossible to avoid them hearing things and I wanted to put things in context and simplify things for them. They know my general views and why I voted 3rd party but I made sure to explain things such a way not to scare them and have a respectful, hopeful outlook for the current president.

As an aside, they are suddenly obsessed with Celebrity Apprentice and think it is hilarious that the president used to host it. I refrain from telling them that I find that pretty disturbing...

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

My DD is 8, she knows that DH and I don't like Trump and didn't vote for him.

She learned about the election and the candidates in school and so naturally she asked DH and I who we were going to vote for. We were honest and explained why we supported one person and not the other. I even took her with me when I voted to show her the whole process.

I try not to rant about the idiot in front of her but I didn't shy away from teaching her about the process of electing a president and how not everyone will like or support the same candidate. When she asks questions about Trump, which she does, I answer her honestly but in a way she'll understand.

Do your young children know your political views?

No but my kids are under 3.

I didn't know what my parents considered themselves when I was a child but the political climate also wasn't as tumultuous as it is now. I remember thinking my dad voted for Michael Dukakis because they had the same first name lol. The values they instilled in me molded me into who I am and how I align politically and I will instill those same values and beliefs when raising my kids and they'll be able to make their own decisions when it comes to deciding which candidate to vote for.

These days though, having a president as unhinged as 45, I'm sure it must be difficult to explain it to children. I just hope that by the time my kids are old enough to understand and have these discussions, we have someone more stable.

Do your young children know your political views?

My 4.5yo knew who he was I guess just from TV. They also did an unrelated vote on election day and talked about it that way (voted for what pet the new president should adopt). Eventually I felt like I had no choice but to explain a little about my feelings about him. Not something I ever thought I'd be doing, especially at her age. After the election I bought the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? I explained that he's a bucket dipper and centered our conversation on that. Over time I may explain more specifics about his priorities that she may understand, for example getting rid of national parks or not taking care of our environment.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Sure, as much as a 3.5 year old can. We are not quiet about it at all, and to me political views=ideology and values, and those are things we want to instill in our children.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Yes, and they know how to respond when the kids whose parents support trump say disgusting things in school. And this has happened so many times I have lost count.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Yes, especially when my DD was coming home from school distraught so often from the year leading up to the election and ongoing because kids were saying things like "Trump is finally going to get rid of all the Muslims!" and "Then after the Muslims he can get rid of the black people" and to a hispanic child, "You're going to have to go back to where you came from." I weep to think of what they're exposed to in their homes.

Message edited 2/15/2017 9:52:12 AM.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

I actually contacted the principal about this and she was upset and sympathetic but nothing was done to shut it down. In fact, DDs teacher (this was last school year and she was an awful teacher BTW) encouraged the students to discuss their views and was very brazen in expressing her support for certain beliefs. When I turned to other parents I was shocked and dismayed to find out they weren't so upset about those sentiments. This year it isn't as much but comments are still made. DD is outspoken and always calls her schoolmates out on stuff like that but she said the teachers were so happy about the outcome of the election that she feels like they wouldn't care about it. Maybe I should have made a bigger stink. We are blue in a red red red neighborhood. It legitimately has us contemplating a move to hear the underbelly of your neighbor's beliefs!

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

My child's teacher handled it very well, and would actually call out the lies and why they are lies.
A few class and school events that they usually do around election time had to be canceled because of the behavior of the trump kids.
My husband chaperoned a class trip near the end of last year, and the discussions - loud discussions with pretty gross comments for all to hear - from many parents were horrible. And people were very proud to be making such comments. So, that is where it comes from anyway.

Message edited 2/15/2017 10:39:14 AM.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

They most certainly do. We didn't at first, but when they started spewing things they were hearing at school, I wanted them to understand all sides, not just one side. They even got to "vote" in school, and we talked about who they were voting for and why. I was sad to hear my DD was voting for Hillary bc she's a woman and my DS was voting for trump bc all of his friends were, obviously neither of those options are correct thinking and while they are only 6 and 8, respectively, I realized it's never too early to have open and honest conversations with them about politics.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

Yes. My kids are 6 and 9. They talked about it in school and I've had to explain a lot of things to my children that I would not have otherwise, except for the 'education' they received from their peers.

My DD came home before the election and said she heard in class that 'Clinton was going to let all the terrorists in.'

After the election some dipsh*t in her class told her that Hillary Clinton stabbed 4 people (queue conversation about Benghazi).

My DS told me that a kid in his class told him everyone who voted for Clinton is dumb.. and my DS doesn't take nicely to hearing his mama is dumb.

It's been great.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

I come from a very politically active family. We have been discussing politics for as long as I can remember and I remember campaigning for my father and other local politicians young.

I have been discussing politics my son's entire life with him (he is almost 10).

I have to say that when I went to college and took political science I was told I have one of the best political minds the professor had ever seen and I really do attribute that to discussing it with my family from when I was very little.

Do your young children know your political views?

Yes my kids knew who we were voting for but I made sure that they knew about both candidates. My 6 year old came home one day saying she wanted Trump to win because Hillary is a liar. So then of course came the questions about what did she lie about. My 4 year old came home from pre-k saying that Trump is the man with the orange skin! I know no matter who we were voting for my kids never heard us talk bad about the other candidate but clearly other parents don't filter the same way.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

I don't really get into politics with DD. She's 6 and to be honest it isn't even on her radar other than what she hears on TV when it's on in the house- like she would say Donald Trump is running for president etc.

I think she's a bit young to "get" politics

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

To add - Some of these trump kids are still talking about him all the time, multiple times a day in school. For example, the art teacher will say something completely unrelated to politics at all. For example, does anyone know who painted this classic painting? Kid shouts out "TRUMP!"
Music teacher asks completely innocent question, and another kid shouts out "TRUMP!" It keeps happening over and over and it is very bizarre. One kid took out his phone the other day to show my kid how he is following him on twitter and checks his phone for updates all day. This is elementary school.

I also had to explain that Hillary is not a lesbian, and even if she is, it is not a bad thing and does not matter.

Do your young children know your political views?

My DS and my nephew both know he's a bad man and they both call him a bully.

He was a bad man in our house long before he ever even decided to run for president. We are one of the small contractors he hurt.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

DC are 10 and 13, and they are very aware of DW and my political views, and are aware of much of the political arena lately. Fortunately or unfortunately, they know a lot more about real politics than many of their classmates. I try and tell DS (13) not to debate with kids who are blatantly just trying to start fights.

However, I never push just my opinions on DC. I explain to them why people vote for the other party, and why people voted for trump (two different topics, since trump is not actually a Republican...)
I explain both points of view, and explain why I think my way, but also explain why other people think the other way, and why it seems right and logical to them, and some of the positive ideas of the Republican party (there really aren't any positives about trump, though... even though the Mythbusters were able to polish a turd, I don't have that much skill.... )

DS has been with me to vote since he was very little. Not every time, because of schedules, but he has been numerous times, and not just Presidential election years, but the odd years when it's just local, or even school budget votes.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?

My kids are 9 and 5 and they absolutely know my political views and why "we" believe what we do and how this President does not stand for what we believe in. We absolutely talk about this but in terms they can understand. I almost always vote based on social issues and I always discuss that with my children.

Re: Do your young children know your political views?