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Wow. Then its really not apt. Obama is not trying to force anyone to eat vegetables. He is just trying to make sure that federally funded meals are nutritional balanced. No one MAKES anyone eat vegetables.
As I just posted in my responses above, it was an analogy based on the rhetorical standards of the role of government in our lives as professed by the two parties. I fully well realize that the actuality of their claimed rhetoric, particularly in the case of the Republicans, is not the same as the reality.
I was attempting to get my son to think critically about the role of government, but do admit it was mostly lost on him do to the vegetable thing. Yes, I took the vegetable thing from the school lunch mandates, but since he buys his lunch a couple of times a week, it seemed like a good angle to go on. He had previously commented how stupid it is that they give all the kids vegetables that they just throw away.
My general "concept" was to get him to think about these two opposing ideas:
1. The government has a responsibility to make sure that we do what is "right" for ourselves and is free to compel that behavior.
2. The government has no right to tell us what choices we can make for ourselves as long as those choices do not negatively impact another.
As I just posted in my responses above, it was an analogy based on the rhetorical standards of the role of government in our lives as professed by the two parties. I fully well realize that the actuality of their claimed rhetoric, particularly in the case of the Republicans, is not the same as the reality.
I was attempting to get my son to think critically about the role of government, but do admit it was mostly lost on him do to the vegetable thing. Yes, I took the vegetable thing from the school lunch mandates, but since he buys his lunch a couple of times a week, it seemed like a good angle to go on. He had previously commented how stupid it is that they give all the kids vegetables that they just throw away.
My general "concept" was to get him to think about these two opposing ideas:
1. The government has a responsibility to make sure that we do what is "right" for ourselves and is free to compel that behavior.
2. The government has no right to tell us what choices we can make for ourselves as long as those choices do not negatively impact another.
Your analogy for your son does not work. The school lunch does not mandate that the child EAT it, just that the product provider serves it.
How is it not about parenting? I did not intend for it to be a political debate, but I certainly realized the danger of that happening. I was quite clear in my OP that I was simply attempting to prompt conversation about how people were discussing the election and politics in general with their kids. I happen to think that this topic is an important part of parenting; giving your kids a basic foundational understanding of civics and how our nation works. I was just curious to see how others were doing it and am quite pleased to find that for the most part, it seems many people in this forum take this aspect of parenting rather seriously.
I think that if Gabby Douglas was in the debate my kids would have said she won...little kids are hilarious.
It's funny, the election has not even come up in our house this year, maybe I'll bring it up one of these nights at the dinner table. It will either be deadly silent or there were be a about 100 super basic questions, like when I was watching the US x Guatemala game the other night...some examples:
Why are they on TV?
How do they choose who is on TV?
Why do they get paid to play soccer?
Why are those people singing?
How do they all know the words?
Do you pay for us to play soccer?
Why is that guy so unhappy?
Who makes their uniforms?
and on, and on, and on...
Your analogy for your son does not work. The school lunch does not mandate that the child EAT it, just that the product provider serves it.
I am well aware of what the mandate does and doesn't say. If you have a better analogy to explain the basic role of government as conceptualized by both parties in a way a second grader would understand I am all ears.
How about this one...
Obama believes that it's OK to borrow money so that we can buy vegetables that you don't want to eat and just throw in the trash. Romney thinks it is ridiculous to borrow money to buy vegetables that no one wants to eat.
How is it not about parenting? I did not intend for it to be a political debate, but I certainly realized the danger of that happening. I was quite clear in my OP that I was simply attempting to prompt conversation about how people were discussing the election and politics in general with their kids. I happen to think that this topic is an important part of parenting; giving your kids a basic foundational understanding of civics and how our nation works. I was just curious to see how others were doing it and am quite pleased to find that for the most part, it seems many people in this forum take this aspect of parenting rather seriously.
Tally the responses to see how many are strictly about parenting ...
I am well aware of what the mandate does and doesn't say. If you have a better analogy to explain the basic role of government as conceptualized by both parties in a way a second grader would understand I am all ears.
How about this one...
Obama believes that it's OK to borrow money so that we can buy vegetables that you don't want to eat and just throw in the trash. Romney thinks it is ridiculous to borrow money to buy vegetables that no one wants to eat.
Yes, I'm being incredibly sarcastic.
Well I guess I speak even to second graders honestly and directly. I probably would not use an analogy that fails to capture reality if I could not come up with one that did. Instead I would go directly to the matter at hand. By second grade, kids have a bank account. They understand money. That have seen their parent(s) working...
While they would not understand trickle down, they would understand the idea if explained. And would understand the idea of investment.
There's an immediate impact for some of us. I walk out of the polling place and feel great. By the grace of God I'm an American citizen and by voting I get tell everyone what I think. I get to support the people and laws I believe in and I get to tell the other side to stuff if. Not a whole lot of that going on in North Korea.
My family is in the "we talk politics at the dinner table" category. Did our kids get influenced by us? Of course. Sometimes we even got influenced by them.
OK, this is true. If you enjoy it then it is worth it. Kind of like rooting for a sports team. It doesn't accomplish much but it is fun. "Go Party Go!"
My oldest (1st grade) saw a picture of Obama and Romney the other day. I asked her which of the two she thought should be president. She said the one on the right (Romney) because "he looked meaner and a person has to be a little bit mean to run a whole country". That's about the extent of her critical thinking for now.
Interesting topic. I took a class on voting trends when I was in college, the most important factor in how a person will vote is how their parents voted. Sometimes there are huge demographic shifts but in general we vote as our parents raise us.
Our children are in elementary school and know which of the candidates we will vote for, they also know that no matter who the President is that they deserve our utmost respect.
We teach our children that an informed opinion is important and when they have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, that they will do something that people have died to ensure the right to have.
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