photo credit: the schneider clan
The recent election had people communicating with each other on the internet, on Twitter, on Facebook, on blogs and in person. Even strangers talked about who they were voting for and why. Have you thought about how much you and your children talked about the election and the issues involving it?
In my home, I try my best to keep my 9 year old informed of current events. We read the newspaper together at breakfast, watch the news together and talk about what we read and see. She also enjoys reading Scholastic News that she gets from school.
Some Issues We Discussed:
- How To Decide Who Will Get Your Vote
- Why Voting is Important
- Civil Rights
- Women’s Rights
- Poverty in the USA
- Volunteering and Giving Back
- Respect For People With Whom We Disagree
- Republicans and Democrats
Even though the election is over, our conversations have continued. We are continuing to learn about the government and how it affects not only the people in this country but the people all over the world. We talk about what we hope that President-Elect Obama will do and continue to read about the transition of power. We are taking part in helping make changes by volunteering together to do things in our community. We also watch the Change.gov website.
Have you found that this election in particular, got you and your children talking more about what is going on in the world? Have you made any changes to your lifestyle due to the election?
This election did the exact opposite for our family. We had such opposite views that we couldn’t talk about the election without one of us getting quickly aggravated.
This election was the first time my boys have been old enough to form opinions and really understand what the election was all about. It was, and still is, a wonderful thing!
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I agree with you that involving your children in current events is important for their future development. I have 5 kids, most are now grown, but they are very active in whats going on. In addition, they have become somewhat of leaders in their niches because they look outside of their little worlds. I feel most of this is due to the fact that they have grown up with a desire to know what is going on around them. You are doing a great job with your children.
I agree, this election did get people talking.
And I think it got more people interested in the candidates and the issues, and in some areas got more people to vote.
This election was the first time I actually got involved, canvassing door-to-door. It’s funny but I was always the “shy” one growing up–I even made my younger sister call when we’d order a pizza–so it was a pretty big moment for me to actually walk up to a stranger’s door and initiate a political conversation. I thought it was important to my children that they see both my husband and I involved in the election process. My husband waited to vote on election day until my daughter came home from school because she really wanted to go and actually see how to vote.