The Crescat
… So yesterday I had about 4 hours to kill while waiting in line to early vote. While I was there I met a lovely young black woman wearing a t-shirt that said “They stole us. They sold us. They OWE us.” and I thought; gee, she looks stunning for being over 150 years old! I’m guessing she was about that age since slavery was abolished in 1865. Hey, don’t let history get in the way of your overwhelming sense of entitlement.
Speaking of stupidity and politics; have you ever discussed with other parents how they were handling the elections with their children? It’s the perfect teaching opportunity; you know, government, the electoral process, democracy, moral obligations and responsibilities. What better time in a child’s young life to install your political ideologies and indoctrinate them to your way of thinking than during a presidential election. Can you believe some parent’s are actually passing up the chance to politically influence their own children?! I know!
I guess they don’t know if they don’t do it someone else will gladly step right in. Someone else being teachers, Nickelodeon, and that commie Big Bird.
So there I was having a conversation with a friend about Michelle Obama coming to a local elementary school – told ya! – and this father was telling me how disheartened he was that both his kids thought B.O. was “so cool”. I asked what he was doing to remedy that post haste. Incredulously, he said nothing. He didn’t want to influence his own children in matters of politics. He felt the best thing to do was let them decide for themselves who to support and be a good dad by standing behind their decision. Really!? Truly?!
His kids like Obama because they think he’s cool. That’s it. No other reason. They fell for an empty facade of coolness that’s been careful constructed by endless appearances on late night TV and a kid’s television network. That is what happens when you let young children make unguided decisions. They will always choose candy for dinner.
You don’t let children decide for themselves whether drugs are cool or not. Little Johnny doesn’t like homework so he’s decided he won’t do it anymore and we stand behind his decision. Um, no. Unwavering support for whatever our kids do or decide is not the same thing as teaching them independent thought. If you want to help children learn to think for themselves you have to first teach them how to think. Show them how to gather information and critically weigh that information in order to make informed decisions. Liking someone because they are cool is wrong wrong wrong and it’s utterly inexcusable for a parent not to help a child see that. Parents should support informed decisions, not the mindless ones.
I will never understand why some parents will be involved in their kid’s decision making process but then behave as if religion and politics are off limits. My mom did that, you know. Didn’t want to influence me in regards to religion so I was a big Godless heathen most of my life. She went through the effort of raising me and suddenly stopped at religion. Weird, I know.
I honestly never thought I would ever have to actually type this, but parents, it is OK to influence your children in all matters. Remember, if you aren’t going to do it someone else will.
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