Politics

During the last presidential election, my son was 6 and my daughters were 5. They knew there was something called an election that was going on, but didn't really understand much about it.

This time around, my son is 10, and he's much more interested in our presidential candidates than ever before.

And what I've found is that he has very different political views than I have.

When I realized this, during a conversation he started the other day, my first mommy instinct was to "correct" him, to teach him the "right" views. Thankfully, I was able to put that instinct in check before any words escaped my mouth.

As he and his sisters grow up physically, they are also growing intellectually, of course. And even though they're influenced tremendously by their parents' views, they are also influenced by their friends, their teachers, their friends' parents, in creating their own world views.

They have a right to different viewpoints, even when they're vastly different from mine. I have no right to declare their views wrong or flawed.

However, I do have a right to engage them in intellectual debate.

So, what did I do? I showed him I was interested in what he had to say. I asked him questions about his view. I played devil's advocate and suggested that "some people" think this-or-that. I asked him how he would respond to their views. I showed him that I was genuinely interested in how he came to his conclusions, and that he can talk to me about his opinions even when they're different from mine.

In 8 years, when he's able to vote, his views may or may not be different from the views he holds today. In 28 years, they may be different still. While my core beliefs have remained the same over my lifetime, I have modified my stance on various issues as I've had more life experiences. I'd guess that most people can say roughly the same about the evolution of their political beliefs, and my children will be no different.

As the election year frenzy continues for the next two months, I'm proud that my son is actually aware of who our candidates are and what they promise for our future. Even if his views are different from mine.