Parents: leading or forcing?

Photo by: Sylvana Kelley 

Have you ever realized where does your political affiliation come from? How did you manage to believe what you believe now? Let me do some reflective work for you through this article, shall we? 

Approximately two weeks ago, I was eating at El Sol, Mexican restaurant, and I heard a man asking his 10-year-old daughter “what are Democrats?” and the little girl answered with “poop and worse than a communist!”

I had to ask her, “Baby, what is a communist?” and of course, she had nothing to say about it. Politics is my passion and it really upsets me when kids, who cannot even describe what a communist is, are despitefully describing around half of the American population as ‘poop’.

Parents are planting a hate seed in their children just to make them like their political affiliation. Let me tell you something, moms and dads: in your hands is the responsibility of having a beautiful, united society or a destroyed, full of hate, and divided one.

If you want to talk to your children about politics then, please, do it consciously. I love when young people know what is going on in their country. However, hate words and discriminating adjectives are out of order.

Without looking into the future, that father at El Sol is unconsciously making his daughter believe that everyone who is a Democrat is stupid. We need to promote unity and comprehension among our future generations, not hate.

Parents should explain to their children both their personal preferences and reasons to choose a particular party, and later on, the child can make his or her own mind without rude and hateful predispositions.

Be honest for one second, and ask yourself if your political party is perfect. If it is, then I guess you do not know what perfection is. If you realize your party is not perfect, then America thanks you for having some room for reality and change in your mind.

I have heard many saying, “If I am a Democrat, then you have to be one”. No, that is not how it works, people.

A responsible adult who has a responsible sense of voting will belong to the political organization that suits their convenience and their nationalistic ideals, not the one affiliation that his or her parents like.

We are hurting society by spreading these hateful messages to our children. It is essential for them to form an ethical political sense, instead of a disrespectful one. Parents are there to lead, not to force.

Like President John F. Kennedy said, "If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity."

If we cannot end the war between Republicans and Democrats, at least let us make America safe for diversity of political choice, opinion and expression.

#NoMoreHate #UNITEDstates