Passing political viewpoints onto children

Discussion in 'Homeschooling' started by Embassy, Nov 9, 2010.

  1. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    Do you attempt to pass on your political viewpoints to your children? Or do you try to keep things balanced so they can make up their own mind?
     
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  3. Amethyst

    Amethyst New Member

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    My political points of view are tied in with my moral values, so it seems perfectly natural to pass that on to my kids. We do talk about politics quite a bit in our house, and now that our kids are older, it seems apparent that they have similar political beliefs.

    Also, as homeschoolers, we seem to be in the distinct minority being Democrats, so I do feel it's important for them to hear a point of view other than what they might hear from the Republican homeschoolers that they spend a lot of time with. But mostly I realize that eventually they will form their own opinions and as long as they are involved in what is happening in the world, I will be satisfied.
     
  4. homeschooler06

    homeschooler06 Active Member

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    My children are still young but when I was growing up my parents never talked politics with me. Honestly I never really talk about politics. Half the time it's confusing and makes my brain hurt :).
    Now that my oldest is getting closer to teenhood there are few things we do talk about in the world and I explain (best I can) why they do what they do and why us (parents) agree or disagree.
    The hardest part trying to follow a Christian lifestyle when the world is turning so far away from what we are teaching. I do explain that is has to be hard being a politician because they have to think of EVERYONE and it's difficult to be a Christian politician because of the trying to make it equal for everyone.
     
  5. Maranatha

    Maranatha New Member

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    My father talked about politics all the time we were growing up which I'm very thankful for as I learned a TON.

    Now that I'm raising my children, I discuss politics and current events with them all the time. They learn to establish their own views based on being educated and not simply parroting what we tell them. The good news is that my firstborn, who is now in college, has learned to support his point of view with facts and not simply spout what others around him espouse. And that hasn't been easy since we are conservatives and college is not a bastian of conservative thought.
     
  6. northernmomma

    northernmomma New Member

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    I would have to say I would like them to make up their own minds. Afterall I am trying to raise well adjusted independent people and part of that is trusting that they will know what I believe and be able to agree or disagree with merit.
     
  7. frogger

    frogger New Member

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    Well, we are big on questioning everything but I have doubts that I'm going to be able to be completely unbiased about anything. How does one discuss history or economics without discussing politics. I usually will say someone who has this point of view might say "such and such". Of course, I also, especially as they get older and do more research, will tell them to go read what the other side has to say. We have various types of books from different viewpoints which we will discuss with them but will my children get a completely unbiased view point from me? I would be lying to say I would even be able to do such a thing. At least they will know it.
     
  8. Brooke

    Brooke New Member

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    We talk about God constantly. In that regard, we talk often of government in light of scripture. We are also of the mindset that it is our responsibility to take an active role in aligning our land, locally as well as nationally, with God's values. It may seem to some that we are brainwashing our kids to agree with us politically, when we are actually making sure that we ourselves are being consistant with God's Word. So, yes. As long as I am in line with God's Word in my politically views, then I hope to pass them on to my children.
     
  9. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    I also agree that my moral beliefs determine my political beliefs. However, having said that, I taught my co-op class when Bush and Kerry were running. Rachael (age 8 at the time) was saying things like, "They should let kids vote! WE'D vote for Bush!" Why? "Because he's the right guy to vote for." Why? "Well, you and Daddy are voting for him." Why? I wanted the kids to realize that we had very real reasons for why we voted. And I also wanted them to realize that those who voted for Kerry had very valid reasons, too. I gave the kids an assignment to ask ten people who they were voting for and why. We made a list of reasons for each candidate, and discovered both sides seemed to have the same reasons...abortion, gay rights, the war, etc.,...but they looked at those issues from different perspectives. So then we had to look at what God said about those things. Health care was interesting, because we agreed that God would want us to care for the sick. It wouldn't be right for a hospital to turn down a person who really needed help. But neither would it be right for the hospital to tell the next person that THEY had to pay for the first.
     
  10. Brooke

    Brooke New Member

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    Great post, Jackie. That is much like how we approach it here. Of course I love that they would vote for whomever I vote for, but I want them to know why we vote the way we vote.
     
  11. 2littleboys

    2littleboys Moderator

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    I agree with Jackie & Brooke. We haven't really gotten into politics a whole lot yet, but we've talked about it, and we've talked about why I like certain people and don't like certain others.
     
  12. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    Great way to go about teaching different viewpoints.
     
  13. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    I'm finding it difficult to be neutral politically. Politics are a normal discussion topic in our house and as my boys and I delve into social studies I'm finding it rather impossible to remain neutral. At the same time I realize public schools aren't neutral either.
     
  14. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    We TRY really hard to keep it balanced. I'm more concerned with passing on a spiritual heritage than a political one. And I hope by passing the former, the latter is also line up with that. :)
     
  15. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Hey, this is slightly OT, but do you know how they vote in Australia? (We're studying Australia, btw!) First of all, it is LAW that you vote, so they get 95% voter turnout. Then instead of voting for just candidate, you NUMBER them in order of preference. A candidate must have at least 50% to win. So, say there are four candidates, but the highest one only has 35%. So they throw out the person who has the lowest number, and all those votes are redistributed according to their number two vote. If they still don't have someone with 50%, they throw out the next lowest, and redistribute those, too.

    Now here's what's cool about that. In the last election, I didn't want Obama to win, but I really didn't care for McCain, either. If I were to vote for a third-party candidate, then folks see it as a vote "for" Obama. So a third-party candidate has very little chance of winning. But, according to the Australian system, you can put that third-party person down as your number one choice, and when he doesn't win, you still get to vote for your second-place person. So it's a more accurate portrayal of whom the people really want.
     
  16. frogger

    frogger New Member

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    Louisiana has a run-off system. So you vote your first choice and then the top two have a run off. I think they are the only one that has something like that though.

    I do think it is crazy to make it a law to vote. Do they make it a law to be informed? They can't, so forcing someone to mark a ballot doesn't seem like such a great idea. Someone could make pretty random patterns on their ballot if it so pleased them.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2010
  17. frogger

    frogger New Member

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    I think the important thing is not to be neutral but to teach your children to question things and not just believe something because it's what they always hear. I think teaching what your values are along with logic and the ability to be discerning are important. My big thing is teaching the difference between intentions and results and that the majority of people have good intentions even if they disagree on what the results will be.
     
  18. Meghan

    Meghan New Member

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    We don't talk politics a lot, mostly because dh and I are usually on the same page (or he just won't argue with me LOL). I am, in some ways, pretty political although over the last few years my opinions have really shifted. I can't even say I align myself with one party or another anymore- since what I thought they stood for and what they actually do aren't remotely the same.

    I think if I'm honest, though, politics colors so much of what we do, and ultimately what we teach. For instance, I could teach the 'propaganda' machine history that's in school textbooks. I could teach the weird twisted propaganda (that is probably mostly closer to the truth) that I read in another book (where if you are white, you are morally evil and greedy, even if you came from an immigrant class that came here with nothing). Or I could decide to teach something in the middle. All are political, though, and depend on one's viewpoint. Sadly, even in my college texts, politics abounds in places you wouldn't think it would at all.

    For instance, I'll teach my children to recycle. I'll tell them about the idea of Global Climate change. But I can't treat Climate Change as the media does.. because I believe it's all hype. Can I even talk about it without smirking? Doubtful. So even if I try to sound neutral, I won't be. (and I'm not actually willing to debate my views.. I know way too much about this subject LOL, but I absolutely accept everyone's right to decide for themselves, even if they strongly disagree with me)

    I don't want to brainwash my kids, no way no how. But I do want them to know how I feel and why, how dh feels and why, how their grandparents feel and why. I want them to know the histories we all bring to the table when we make those sorts of decisions, and to think through something before making a snap emotional judgement.

    I thought it was hilarious when my ds came home just before the vote on Obama/McCain, wearing a headband supporting the candidate dh and I were voting for. We hadn't talked about it with him at all, so his reasons for making that decision were entirely his own.
     
  19. ColoradoMom

    ColoradoMom New Member

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    We are very political. A few years ago we went to hear Sean Hannity talk and my daughter (who was 18 at the time) slipped away and found us after the event and told us she waited by the backstage to shake his hand. He said she was a Great American! It was funny because my daughter is not political, but she gets a kick out of the stuff we do that IS political.

    This week in fact, my son and I are watching Glenn Beck for current events - it is George Soros week. I think it is important to know what is going on in our country right now.

    We don't talk about it a lot - but politics is ALWAYS on in our house becasue we are 24/7 news people. He can name most of the major players in politics today and I think that is a good thing.

    As a parent it is not my job to be unbiased in teaching politics, it is my job to teach WHY I believe the way I do.
     
  20. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    Very good point.
     
  21. sixcloar

    sixcloar New Member

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    Exactly... We do share who we are voting for, but also WHY. My vote goes to the candidate with morals closest to mine (which seems to be getting harder to find!).
     

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