Start Them Young:
Do you discuss politics with kids? My parents didn’t, maybe because their parents never did, either. But I find that Kyle gets curious whenever he overhears adult conversations. He feels left out, and so I try my best to explain adult topics to him in ways he can understand. I remember that as a child, I would always feel like I was “too young” to understand certain things– and so I wouldn’t even try. It felt disempowering, soI never really took adult topics seriously until very late into adulthood. I figured I’d change that with Kyle.
Back in 2020 we talked about Trump vs. Biden. A few weeks ago, we talked about the bad president who stole a lot of money, whose son is now trying to become president again. And about the good vice president Leni, who we want to become the next president of the Philippines. Because she is good, and brave, and puts the country first. Whenever we see pink parols (lanterns) around, he says: “look mom, kakampink (the coined term for Leni supporters)!”
The Brave Journalist Who Won the Nobel Prize
Last night, I told him about Maria Ressa. A brave journalist (who is like a good version of Peter Parker’s boss at the Daily Bugle), who tells the truth and fights against the bad guys. The bad president wants to put her in jail, but the people of the world saw that she is good and gave her the best prize ever: the Nobel Peace Prize! And in her speech, she said that we need facts. Things we can prove with evidence
“You mean like- fun fact: the anklyosaurus was a herbivore?”
“Yes! But if you say- Kyle is cute- that’s not a fact. It’s just an opinion. Because someone else might say, no, Kyle is not cute, he’s nakakata-cute!” *a play on the Filipino word for scary (nakakatakot)
Truth, Democracy, and Equality
So Kyle, do you understand that without facts, there can be no truth? Because how will we know what is true if we can’t prove it? Everyone will be so confused! There can be no shared reality, meaning we will all believe different things. Then there can be no democracy or freedom.
“Mom, next time I will create drones to protect everyone from the bad presidents. Then I will win the Nobel Prize.”
“That’s good! You should try. Just keep doing good things to change the world for the better. And you need to be better. Maria Ressa also talked about the importance of equality. You know what equality means, right?”
Yes. The world needs to be more equal. For example, there are too many bosses who are men. There should also be more bosses who are women. It’s dangerous for women journalists because when there are too many men, some of them don’t act nice. They act like bullies, and the women are scared to get hurt. So you- you need to be a gentleman ok? That means that you will be careful and respectful, especially to those who might be weaker than you. Men have more muscles and are physically stronger than women. So if you are not careful, you might hurt them. That’s why you shouldn’t hit mommy- you shouldn’t hit anyone at all!
“And you know, being a gentleman also means being careful with your words. If you keep talking about private parts, girls might get scared of you! (His favorite Filipino word is titi, which means penis. He finds it funny, especially because of this book we read). They will say- why does this boy keep saying titi?”
He paused for a moment and reflected on it, which I found adorable.
“I promise I’ll be a gentleman, mom.”
❤
Believe there is good in the world. Be the good. Our children are truly our future- don’t be afraid to start them young.
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If you enjoyed this, please feel free to share. We are also open to hearing your opinions, whether you agree with me or have opposing beliefs, I would be happy to hear from you.
💙
#kids #politics #talktokidsaboutpolitics #bethechange #startemyoung #mariaressa #leni2022 #neveragain
Photo credits to Rappler
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