Friday, September 1, 2017

How do UU parents explain Donald Trump's election to their kids?


Dr. Ava Sigler wrote in her book, How Do I Explain This To My Kids: Parenting In The Age Of Trump, "Beyond these threats to our democratic way of life, Donald Trump's performance during his campaign and presidency has seemingly validated a long list of behaviors we strive to get our children to recognize and reject, from rudeness, prejudice, and bullying to dishonesty, greed, and shamelessness." p.ix

Here in New York State most school districts start school this coming Wednesday, after Labor Day, on September 6, 2017 and the societal tension will increase as adults, parents, teachers, and other adults must address the problematic behavior of the U.S. President and what to tell the kids?

What ideas do you have? What have you told your kids? What would you hope would be taught to them in school? If Donald Trump exhibited his campaign and post election rally behavior in school he would have been suspended or expelled. Yesterday, I heard a focus group on TV and these were people who voted for Donald Trump, discuss the idea that they no longer expect him to act "presidential" because they stated he doesn't even act professional. Many of the members of the group stated that they would be fired from their place of employment if they acted like Donald Trump, and most kids would be place on some sort of disciplinary protocol if they acted like Trump in school.

Even more egregious are the congressional members of Donald Trump's party who fail to act, and who by their silence allow the behavior to continue uncensured. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing and look the other way.

3 comments:

  1. I explained to my children that unfortunately, many people in the United States, are racists and think that people unlike themselves are inferior. I told them this was human nature. In one experiment brown eyed children were told they were superior to blue eyed children and the brown eyed children took control and put the blue eyed children down with the approval of the teachers. In another school the opposite was taught and the same occurred. Most humans believe what people in authority tell them.

    UUs are different from most people because they think critically and are more cognitively literate. UUs are taught to distrust authority and to make up their own minds in a kind and respectful way. I told my children to think for themselves, be kind to others, and to stand up to disrespect and exploitation when they see it. I have also, most importantly, taught them to find the courage to stand up to bullies and not be submissive. When people lose the mind of their own they become trapped like animals and can become viscious. It doesn't take much for authority figures to manipulate such people and egg them on. Donald Trump is not ruining America, it's the people who give them their power to allow him to act that way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My children are friends with some of the DACA kids and are very upset about Trump's threat to deport them. These are people raised here as children who know no other community. It reminds me of the Jews being quarantined and then shipped to concentration camps in Europe or the Japanese being put in internment camps. If there was ever a time to Stand On The Side Of Love it is now. UUs need to join with other groups to protect these people.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Donald Trump exhibits behavior that is impulsive, manipulative, vitriolic, self-aggrandizing, aggressive, bullying, sexually abusive, and indiscriminate. As a nation we decided to make him our president anyway. I tell my children the stories about Hitler coming to power and Stalin, and other tyrants. There are history lessons here and unless we understand how these people come to power we will be doomed to repeat these same errors of judgment.

    ReplyDelete

Print Friendly and PDF