LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - We are currently living through a tense political moment, and that tension we feel appears to be affecting our kids, too.
It's no secret that we are now a lot more politically aware than we ever have been before, and we're connected to so much more media these days it's very hard to escape it. But is that lack of freedom from everything political hurting our children?
A child psychologist, writing in the Houston Chronicle, believes it is.
"Kids saturated by this over-the-top messaging [on social media] are looking to their parents, whether they know it or not, for a sense of calm and stability," writes Melissa Goldberg Mintz, a child psychologist who is concerned with the over-politicization of society and its effects on kids. "Parents, too, are seeing these images, and plenty of us get caught up in the political moment as well, adding our own passionate rhetoric around the kitchen table or yelling back at the radio when driving carpool."
"It’s as if kids are running into parents’ bedrooms after a nightmare, only to hear mom and dad say that yes, there is a monster under the bed, and [data analyst] Nate Silver says the odds are 50/50 it’ll eat you in November," she added.
Where Is All This Political Noise Coming From?
A lot of our kids are using social media more than they ever have, and social media influencers are getting a lot of engagement on posts with political opinions. Naturally, that means they'll produce more of it, which inevitably floods our kids' devices.
"Nearly half of TikTok users say they use the app to get their news," Goldberg Mintz wrote. "With only a few exceptions — such as the Washington Post’s account — most streamers focus less on the facts than doing whatever it takes to get eyeballs."
And, yes, our kids are going to want to ask us about things they see - and if they see that those topics are making us as grown-ups lose our minds, they're going to not talk to us about it.
What's more, these topics are inevitably going to be brought up in other social settings, like school, and kids will go into discussions unarmed with all the facts and it could lead to social conflicts, like arguments with close friends.
How Can You Combat This?
According to Goldberg Mintz, there are some steps you can take to ease the anxiety this can cause your children.
Communication is always key, and making sure you communicate in a way that is open, honest, and helps your child understand the issues is vital.
First, don’t play partisan pundit at home. It’s normal to feel strongly about these issues but save the venom for a night out with your friends (or a session with your therapist). At home, provide a much-needed alternative to fear-driven messaging. Talk about all the good you think your preferred candidate will do. Focus on the policies you want to see implemented rather than the ideas that keep you up at night. This may be tough given that we live in an age of negative partisanship, with voters caring more about stopping their opponents' vices rather than elevating their own side’s virtues. But change can start at home.
Educate, educate, educate. Right down to the local politics. Get your kids to understand the importance of getting involved.
Next, highlight to your kids the value of civic engagement. Regardless of who wins in November, it’s important to stay involved as an active citizen of the United States. Sometimes those less flashy down-ballot races — school board or city council, for example — can have a greater immediate effect on your kid’s life than the top of the ticket. And when you take an interest in all sorts of races, you’re bound to get one positive outcome on Election Day, regardless of who is in the White House: helping to balance any potential negative feelings.
And, lastly, model the best behavior. Don't teach your kids that the world (or, at least, the country) is going to end if the wrong person gets elected.
Finally, make sure to model resilience to your children. Don’t overreact to bad headlines. Make sure your kids know the world almost certainly won’t end if your candidate loses in November. Our federalist system and checks and balances was designed to make it hard to make big moves in any direction. Besides, the midterms are only two years away.
Kids expect their parents to be resilient, and when we aren't, it is extremely jarring to our kids. If we are anxious about upcoming elections and politics in general, they will be, too. But they may not have any idea why anyone is anxious. It's important that we explain, calmly, why things are important.
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