Elections and kids

Ah, another presidential election!

G's class had a vote between the Chiquita banana and Honeycrisp apple in preparation for the "big" presidential election amongst the 4- and 5-year-olds.  I'm not sure who won the battle of the fruits.  At first G would not tell me his vote (eventually he spilled that he voted for the banana, which I find funny given his love of applesauce).  He did tell me that he was gonna vote for Barack Obama in the next day's preschool election.

When Barack Obama didn't win in G's class, his teachers told me he was a little upset by the election results.  I told them that while G is insane, he's at least making voting selections I can stomach.

Unlike his sister......my young Republican.

I had almost forgotten this when G's recent election discussions at preschool brought it back to my recollection (with the help of D reminding me too).

When G was telling D about the vote at school, N chimed in that she would vote for Mitt Romney.

Ack!

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Despite my comment to G's preschool teacher (who also taught N) that my young Republican N is clearly being raised by wolves given her political leanings, I do want my children to decide for themselves what they think politically and spiritually.   I don't want them to think what I think if they don't agree with it.  I want them to question, be informed, and be open-minded to research and data.  None of what I personally think or write on this here blog gets said aloud to the kids.  (Ok, I probably do say, "What is WRONG with you??????" to G pretty regularly.)

I generally try not to discuss politics and religion around my children.  We never have the news on, mostly because my children have tendencies towards anxiety so I think it is best not to stir that pot with stories of war, child abductions and vehicular homicide.  The news is such a bummer.

Plus, television news doesn't really tell you much of anything.  It's a bunch of sound-bites that signify nothing.

When I asked N the other day why she would vote for Mitt Romney she said, "Because maybe he could make the world a better place."  I responded that he might, but she should probably know some things about what he would actually do to make the world better, rather than just assuming he would.

Today, on the way to vote, she told me that she would vote for Barack Obama, which raised all kinds of red flags for me.  When I asked her why, she said, "Because Mamaw said Mitt Romney is crazy."

I told her that she shouldn't base her decision on whom to vote for on what Mamaw says or how Mamaw or Daddy or me or anyone else is voting.  She should read about Mitt Romney and listen to him and decide for herself whether he is crazy.

As much as I disagree with Romney's platform, it would bother me more if my daughter voted for Barack Obama only because someone she knows voted for him and not because she really understood and believed in his platform.