This election has captivated my boys, which is something I hadn't anticipated. Each afternoon when I pick up my youngest from school, he has some election-related news to deliver. For days on end I was informed with great distress that all of his classmates want John McCain to win. The first time he made this announcement it led to a lengthy discussion about why people make the choices they do about candidates. I explained the kind of issues that most Christians feel strongly about and most likely why most of his classmates' parents would be casting their ballot for McCain. Of course, then I had to explain why those issues, while important, are not the most important ones to me and to his dad, and why we feel strongly about certain other issues.
It's hard to discuss these things with a nine-year-old. I find myself resorting to great contrasts to explain the differences, which may not be the best approach. I believe I said, "Should I care more about the death of an unborn American baby than the death of an Iraqi child or American soldier who died because we started an unjust war?" Of course, I explained that I care about them all. I want my children to understand that we believe there is far more to a "pro-life" position than a stance against abortion. If nothing else, this election has gotten that conversation started.
Anyway, on to the slightly lighter side of life. This week there have been a lot of negative Obama rumors circulating at school apparently. Yesterday Son3 got in the car and said, "'John' [who you may remember from a previous post] says Obama is a muslim. Is he a muslim? And that he's friends with terrorists." I say no and explain how these rumors got started; at the same time I wonder whether "John's" parents ever consult a credible news source. Today it was a little different. "'John' says Obama is stupid becuase he's going to raise taxes on rich people. Is that true?" I tell him it's true, and there's no response from the back seat. Then I say, "Well, if he has to raise taxes, should he raise them on rich people or poor people or regular people?" He agrees that it would be better to raise taxes on the rich than the poor, especially when he finds out that we're not in the "rich" category.
It is difficult to share the shades of gray with kids; easier obviously with my fourteen-year-old than my nine-year-old. I figure some conversation about these issues is better than none at all. They feel strongly about the issues without understanding that they are just swallowing whole everything we are telling them -- just as their classmates are doing. I haven't bothered to point this out.
Oh well. I've been mindful lately of dialing down the rhetoric a bit. That seemed like a good choice after Son3 expressed his frustration with his brother by saying, "He's being so annoying. He's acting like John McCain."
More than once through all of this I've wondered whether I'm raising a future generation of political activists. My youngest even came up with an idea for a campaign T-shirt. He was annoyed by a T-shirt some of the high schoolers wore recently on a dress down day. The shirt read "NObama." His idea? "GObama." Good boy.
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6 comments:
Psalm 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
The psalmist is speaking about God's complete understanding and knowledge of the psalmist. But this is how I feel about choosing a political candidate. Gaining the knowledge that I would need to make such a choice seems too high, too lofty for me to attain.
Good luck in your discussions. I can see how it would be tough to discuss with a nine year old.
I know what you're saying, Peaj. Making a choice for a political candidate often feels to me like I'm just trying to choose the lesser of two evils. Not so much this time, however.
I'd forgotten that yesterday my youngest said to me, "God will never let John McCain win." I almost choked. Had I somehow given him that impression? I said, "Buddy, I wouldn't presume to know what God would or wouldn't do. But yes, he is the one who sets authorities over us; he has his own reasons that are higher than our thinking or understanding, so we'll just have to see." So that added a whole other dimension to this conversation.
After the conventions, though, I was a little worried. Our kids may be gung-ho, but the older ones haven't got a clue about campaign-finance reform, and the youngest wouldn't know George W. from George of the Jungle. How could we translate their interest into a true political education? The numbers don't look good: according to the Federal Election Commission, less than one-third of 18-to-24-year-olds voted in the 1996 presidential election. If we want our oldest to go to the polls in '08, we have to get busy.
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jones
SMM
Um, well maybe someone should inform John's parents that unless they make 250,000 or more a year Obama's tax break is three times bigger than Mccain's.
How interesting that they are talking about all of this in elementary school! I don't remember ever talking about politics when I was in school...
but maybe that's because I only went through 2nd grade and then I started home schooling!
Merry, I'm about ready to sit John's parents down for a talking to! Want to join me?
Jessica, I know. I didn't think about politics as a kid either...but my parents also never talked to me about anything important...or about much of anything at all...
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