The 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections is just around the corner and this is the time where the youth of today become more vigilant and attentive to the various societal issues often discussed and debated in all forms of media. But what is really the role of a parent when discussions turn political? How can a parent stay unbiased in presenting arguments to children?
In an era where the political scene often depicted the "demonization" mentalities, Karen Walsh, a part-time writing instructor at the University of Hartford and a proud mother of one, recently gave an interesting insight regarding the significance of staying neutral in parenting, especially when conversations take the political twist.
Parenting As A 'Civic Duty'
In Walsh's article published on Geek Mom, she explained how she viewed parenting as a "civic duty." According to Walsh, her parental responsibility is not to teach her child her "politics" instead, her job is to teach her son how to think and understand certain issues that will enable him to be "the change the world needs."
"I've said recently that I don't always, at heart, believe the things I tell my son, but I know that they're important in our social and political discourse for him to hear," she explained. "So, I make sure that he's more equipped to be the change that I cannot always be."
The Importance Of Listening And Respectful Curiosity
Walsh also emphasized the value of listening, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the "crazy and reasoned views" of people. Through this, she's able to understand and answer her son's inquiries. Most of all, she stressed the value of "respectful curiosity," in which she teaches her son that curiosity in a non-hurtful and respectful way can make him a better person.
The 'Demonization' Mentalities
In addition, Walsh also stressed that dangerous effects of the "demonization" of people who think differently, which is rampant in the "current political narrative" of America. As per Walsh, "demonization" creates "winning vs. losing," "right vs. wrong" and "us vs. them" mentalities, which lead to "rigidity and defensiveness."
With that said, Walsh said it is important for parents to stay neutral and to present multiple arguments, discussions and conversations in an unbiased or unprejudiced way. She also highlighted the fact that the socially acceptable beliefs that most parents grew up with may be unacceptable today.
"I want to give my son a chance to think about the ideas on their merits, not try to please me. I want him to learn to wade through information and make his own decisions. I want him to come to his own conclusions. If I don't like them, I can explain what fallacies there are in them, but if he believes something in his soul, he has that right. I want my son to form his own beliefs so that he can learn to change based on new information not stay rigid out of a sense of duty."
Overscheduling And The Challenges Of Christian Parenting
In other related news about parenting, overscheduling children to be involved in various extracurricular activities can reportedly cause damaging stress to kids. According to Herald Tribune, children need time to discover and explore their interests and abilities.
As for the challenges of Christian parenting, Daily Trust reveals many parents today have not effectively fulfilled their God-given duties in child-rearing. In fact, the challenges affecting parenting today include work pressures, lack of good role model parents, absentee fathers, loss of parental authority and unemployment crisis.
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