Kids below the voting age aren't expected to know a lot about politics and a new video highlights just how different their ideas are about the two-party system in America. Asked to describe what they think a Democrat or a Republican is, the children provided amusing answers in front of their parents.
The video, published by Cut on YouTube, presents two girls and three boys from the age of 8-years-old to 12-years-old. The girls seemingly expressed better understanding of the two-party system.
"I think a Republican refuses the law while Democrats are with the law" one of the girls in the video said, eliciting a nervous laugh from her mother. The other girl, who admitted her family is Democrat, believes that Republicans are "bad." On the other hand, two of the boys showed zero knowledge about Democrats and Republicans. His mother realized they don't talk about politics at home that much.
But the oldest of the boys stated that the Republicans are rich people who stick to old values and beliefs. He also stated that he might identify with the Democrat ideology. "I believe more in connecting globally," the boy said. Watch the complete video below.
So, how does a parent go about orienting politics to children when it is admittedly a tough subject? More importantly, should parents even bring this up with kids who still cannot vote?
Political science expert Lynn Vavreck suggests for parents to start the conversation when the kids are in elementary age to set "the right tone" in a young child's mindset. "Politics conversations are polite conversations. That's rule No. 1," Vavreck said, per Time.
PBS cites that explaining the difference between a Democrat and a Republican is a good start to talking politics to children. The other important thing to take note is to stress on the importance and limitations of those in public office.
Over at Reddit, one member shared how he got introduced to Democrats and Republicans as a child with the help of a line chart. "On the left were Democrats, which was described as something like 'Change = progress. Change is good for the soul and good for society," the Reddit member shared. "On the right were Republicans, which said something like 'Change for the sake of change is harmful to society. Change unravels traditions. If it's not broken, why fix it?" he added, saying that it seemed like an impartial way to talk about political parties with children.
Parents, do you have any other ideas on how to talk politics with the kids? Let us know in the comments section below!
