As our children have grown older we have sought to involve them in the election process in other ways. There is a little more talk of politics at the dinner table,and a little more watching of the news and reading news articles together. One of our teenagers even went to one candidate's local headquarters during the last presidential election and watched his grandmother make phone calls. This year we are trying something new... keeping a family Presidential Election Notebook. I was inspired to do this by my husband's grandmother, who has saved news clippings on each presidential election for several decades. It is so much fun to look through her notebook. I thought it would be even more fun for the children to one day be able to look back at their own reflections and observations on the election process. So, creating our own notebook is one thing we are "aiming to do" over the next year.
We began taking notes during the first televised debate. We have already crossed out candidates and added others as the weeks have progressed. (We each have our own predictions about who will be remaining at the end of the candidate selection process.) I plan on having one section of the notebook categorized by issues, one section categorized by candidates, one section of debate notes/winners, and a final section of news articles. Because we have such a wide age range in our children ( almost 17 years down to 4 years of age), different family members are responsible for different tasks. Mom and Dad will take notes of things to discuss with the children later. ( I must admit that being able to "pause" live TV would be very handy during debates!) Our eight year old will copy down each candidate's home town, family information, current position, and other general information as it pops up on the TV screen during the debate. The middle and high school students will each be assigned specific issues and will record notes on each candidate's view as a topic is discussed. Older students will also take general debate notes: the questions asked, who was asking the questions, general impressions on candidate readiness/level of articulation, potential bias, and the like. As we get deeper into the election, I plan to have them gather current events articles and write about the their relevance to the election. There will probably also be papers comparing and contrasting candidates and persuasive papers/speeches on why a particular candidate is the best choice.
So far our debate evenings have been a fun, family time together...almost like a long awaited football game for something . Yes, snacks are provided, and there is the added bonus of getting to stay up late on a school night, but the best part has been the conversations we have had. Teenagers have opinions and they love to share them. What a great time to hear their thoughts and ask them challenging questions. Our two older children have had debate and logic classes and delight in critiquing ( and complimenting!) the "professionals." An election year provides parents with so many opportunities to discuss values and ideals with their children and teach them to think critically about issues. Take advantage of this time! You can be part of raising up the next generation to be "thinkers" instead of those who merely react to circumstances or those who go with the popular flow of thought. It may be impolite to discuss politics at the beauty shop, but discussing these matters in your living room is one fantastic way to spend an evening with the family.
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