Huckleberries Online

BA: I Don’t Want My Girl To Hate Obama

Posted by DFO

May 4, 2009 6 a.m. • 7 comments

Brent Andrews: I don’t know how to tell my family, ‘Please don’t indoctrinate my child against the president.’ Right now I’m trying to think of a way to bring my little girl back around at least to neutral. I don’t want her going to school saying she hates the president. Her teacher, who likely as not will be a black woman, will think I taught her that, naturally, and I voted for the guy. The other thing is, when the president was from the other party, all my little girl ever heard out of me was love your country, love your president, whether I thought the guy was worth a nickle or not. I think children should be left out of some conversations.

Question: Have you tried to pass on your political beliefs to your children? Or do you let them decide for themselves which political party or cause to support?

Seven comments on this post so far. Add yours!

BlueinIdaho on May 04 at 8:50 a.m.
If they ask (and they do) I tell them my political beliefs and why or why not I am supporting a particular candidate. I try never to speak poorly of another candidate or misrepresent the beliefs of a candidate. I’ve heard my kids come home with horrible stories of what President Obama believes…from the mouths of babes. The parents of these children do not understand what a disservice they are doing to their children who will likely grow up either biased or apathetic. Children should be taught to respect the president (not that he/she is unfallible, just respect).

When I hear these terrible lies about Obama, I advise my kids to ask their classmates whether their story is in line with the eighth commandment as they go to a Catholic school.
Mariannel on May 04 at 8:55 a.m.
My kids will tell you that Mom finally came around to their thinking, and they’re exactly right. They differ from each other slightly but both voted for Obama in 2008, as did their mom.

In the two preceding elections both voted for anyone but Bush while their mom voted for Bush.

So, what does that tell you? Try as parents might to influence those budding minds, they would be wise to stand back in some areas of thought, stand firmly as good examples as citizens and allow their kids to decide.

I found early on in parenting that kids have minds of their own, as they well should. Later on in life, they will respect their parents for recognizing and respecting their right to think for themselves.

Occasionally parents–even old coots, can still learn to be flexible in their beliefs.
toadman on May 04 at 9:15 a.m.
“Have you tried to pass on your political beliefs to your children?”

No. I have not. But they know who we supported for president.

In our older son’s Tessera class, they held mock elections last fall, using ALL the candidates (meaning, from all the parties you never hear about.). I don’t recall the party my son (nine) endorsed at that time, but I do remember it was the one who’s ideas he liked the best…and it wasn’t either of the major party candidates.
Don_Sausser on May 04 at 9:52 a.m.
It seems to me that there is placed too much importance on the qualities of the individual candidate.

A good candidate pushing a party philosophy different from that of the voter may not be in his best interest.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.