Politics
A part of our lives revolves around the politics of the day. It’s unavoidable, whether we like it or not.
I might annoy some of you as you read this post because you may not agree with me. But I feel it important, in these politically hot times, to share my concern for children’s emotional well-being.
Over the last year or so, politics and war and protest have been high in the news. Some children have been taken to protest against war. In my view, this is too high stress for young children and isn’t the best way to introduce our children to politics.
My view of what’s safe to share
I think it’s important to help our children navigate politics, but to consider carefully, with the knowledge that children won’t be emotionally ready for too much information or too much aggression.
Panic amongst students
In the extreme, I recall a university student crying and terrified, fully certain that the ‘end of the world is nigh’ and she must personally take a stand to protect us all.
If we can help our children to know the nature of our democracy, with facts rather than opinion, that will help them to understand the country in which they live, and it can help them to begin to form their own views….
Can we teach our children that some nations’ politics are similar to ours and some are very different? Shall we share with them the principle of democracy? What does it mean to have a king and a parliament? Facts, facts, facts; though nothing too bleak.
Encourage them to speak their thoughts
We can ask them what they think about right and wrong, good and bad, about telling the truth and telling lies.
We can raise relevant hypothetical questions: What if your teacher lies to you: Does it matter? Why? For children, the teacher is the leader just ask in government we have a leader. (The difference of course is that the children don’t get to vote!)
Why not share the whole picture?
I simply don’t think children are emotionally equipped to handle the bleak reality of political life. Newscasts are full of negativity and aggression, violence and anger. Can our children really benefit from this aggravation? How about instead, we encourage them to think, consider, weigh up different points or perspectives, and then move on to a history lesson or a good laugh around the dinner table.
That’s my thought on the subject of introducing politics to our children.