If you are like me, you have been pulled into the drama of the upcoming ’08 presidential election. I love it! In addition to the daily soap opera quality of it, I have found that it’s the perfect catalyst for family discussions on our beliefs and values as well as an introduction to government and politics.

It’s no surprise that when 8th graders are polled throughout the United States, the results are almost identical to that of the real election. Parents have a mighty influence on their children and although kids may deny it, they are reflections of their parents in many ways.

This works against parents at times. When I was a teacher, I encountered a parent who was genuinely shocked that his 6-year-old son was using salty language in school. The Dad told me, “I sometimes use those words at home but I thought he knew better.”

Duh.

Until kids morph into teens (and probably even then) they are paying close attention to their parents’ ideas and views. The two presidential candidates have very different opinions about issues that many adults feel strongly about. My husband and I are no exception.

Our 7th grade daughter, Emily, has taken an interest in the debates. Basically, so she can stay up late but it’s also an opportunity for her to absorb a bit of who we are as a family. In addition, we try to demonstrate tolerance and respect for those who are wrong, um, I mean who feel differently.

Some of the obvious issues that may be appropriate for your middle schooler are:
• Big government vs. small government
• Abortion
• Health care (is it a right or a responsibility)
• Gay marriage
• Economy, i.e. how much should “rich” people be taxed to support “poor” people? Relate this to their allowance.
• War

This particular election brings up issues of race and gender, as well. Both Time and Kid’s News Room have good kid websites that discuss current events, including the presidential election.

The debates are also a lesson that even trustworthy adults (except for me, of course) stretch the truth and misrepresent the facts. We are all responsible for verifying information and thinking for ourselves when making big decisions.

As I was discussing this with Emily, I related it hypothetically to two friends trying to convince her to see two different movies. They both really believe in their choice so would probably exaggerate the positive and omit the negative in order to influence her decision. Plus, they may misrepresent their “opponent’s” movie. Ultimately, Emily would have to decide on her own what would be the best choice. Plus, there may be factors such as location, time, and cost, which could further influence her decision.

Emily told me that she’d probably pick the friend she liked, rather than the movie. Sadly, don’t a lot of adults do this when voting? I told Emily it would pretty much stink to sit through a boring movie so it shouldn’t be a personality contest. Not sure she agrees with me but I think she got the point.

Soon enough, Emily will be stepping away from our influence. It is our job as her parents to try to give her a good foundation on which she can make her own future decisions. That means getting her to think for herself, not just accepting the opinions of friends (or her parents, for that matter).

We all know adults who seem to flounder around seemingly without a compass. Not my kid!

-Kay