Today’s New York Times has an article that talks about how the 2008 race for the White House “fundamentally upended” the way presidential campaigns are fought in this country. Part of that is because blogs and the internet have played a greater role this time around. But what’s more, the electorate has changed because of efforts by the Democrats to register and turn out new black, Hispanic and young voters, the Times says.
I see the change at the grassroots level, in my own family. Both of my two kids are too young to vote, but both are far more aware of the candidates and the issues than I ever remember them being – or than I ever remember myself being, for that matter.
My middle school daughter is an Obama supporter, and she’s been wearing her Obama button on her backpack since September. My teenage son – a little less committed, a little more alternative – nonetheless has been reading political bloggers and consuming tons of political videos on YouTube. They watched the debates, they watched Obama’s infomercial, they talk to their friends about who they are supporting and why, and I overhear their conversations from the driver’s seat. Both of them voted in mock elections at their schools yesterday, and discussed the results at dinner last night. (Obama took both.)
Some of this is clearly trickling down from their parents. But at the same time, it seems a reflection of a broader trend: Kids are becoming more civic-minded.
In politics, in the environment, in social issues, it seems my kids – and yours – are seeing the world with a broader view. They are interested. They see the world positively, at least in that they want to get involved, and they have decided they can make a difference.
At least, that’s what I’m observing, at my house. What about you? Do you see the same kind of interest and involvement from your own kids?
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Ann Handley heads up content at MarketingProfs and also writes her acclaimed personal blog, A n n a r c h y: Subscribe to A n n a r c h y here. It’s really fun to follow her on Twitter.
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A number of parents brought their kids with them to the polls today. I also saw a dad with his daughter after he voted and he gave her his “I voted” ticket to look at and explained why he was voting and how important it is to vote. And while I was walking my dog, a school bus drove by and all the kids on the bus were chanting “Obama! Obama!” That was pretty cool to see!
My husband took our son to vote with him today. He is 3 1/2 years old. This election is definitely impacting our kids no matter the age. This is evident when my son began talking about McCain and Obama by name at dinner one night with no other election talk taking place. When asked who he would vote for (I asked him out of curiousity) he said “John McCain” I asked why and he replied “because he doesn’t yell as much as Barack Obama does.” I can only assume that he saw an advertisement or something that lead to this decision, but at his age I was surprised he even knew about the election let alone the actual names of the candidates.
Absolutely! Mine are 8 & 10 years old. I will have a large map of the US up tonite and we’ll tack little post-its, pink n blue for each state that goes to each candidate. We’ll also post colors for the states that gain House & Senate Seats. I’m counting on some geography sinking in as well. They won’t focus for a long period of time, but my 10 yr old daughter asks questions and says she is an Obama supporter…she likes his daughters
Yes, and what an election for them all to remember!
My son is 9 & he’s quite involved. One reason is the green concerns of conscious kids. It’s not about boring political rhetoric anymore. And he was ROTFL catching up on all SNL skits, especially Tina Fey’s contributions. If it’s on too late on TV, there’s always YouTube. He watched Obama’s infomercial too & occasionally doesn’t even mind Hardball! Schools are brining it to the classroom too.
I think this is healthy for the future of the political process. I’m in fact advocating PEUs: Political Education Units, because we must stay informed and not settle for low-information. So many adults base decisions on speeches at rallies & sound bites in ads. Context is so important & if kids have political awareness early, there’s context built-in & history.
Your observation is accurate, at least from my standpoint. We are blending a house with four children and each of them is much more civic minded than we are. They’re much more aware of the environment (littering, recycling, reducing waste, etc.) and have much stronger political opinions than we do.
We’ve talked about voting responsibly, and being respectful of candidates with whom they disagree. We also want to teach them temper their excitement about their candidate when they’re amidst people who may not share their opinions.
The oldest can’t vote for 6 more years, so her first presidential election will be in 8 years. What will our world be like then? What will they be like in 8+ years from now? More civic minded or jaded? Time will tell. I’m hoping for the former!
I remember being very aware of the 1972 election when I was in Jr. High. We had mock elections, we discussed the candidates in class and we wore our buttons to show our support. And two years later during Watergate, we were just as aware. Looking back, I know I was just parrotting my parents politics and opinions. I think - I hope - today’s kids are more aware of the issues, and more likely to examine and express their own opinion, which comes from parents encouraging individual thinking.
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What an incredible lesson for us adults this time around. Kids follow our example. We were more involved, so they’re more involved. Let’s keep it that way.
We had two opposite extremes in my house. Hyper-involved and passionate for Obama mom (me) and mostly indifferent dual-citizenship dad (my Mexican husband). Our daughter followed my lead. We went to an Obama rally. She watched the debates, and like your kids voted Obama at her school mock election. But she had an extra treat when she voted her dad’s absentee ballot for Obama, and we researched the state constitutional amendment proposals on the Internet so she could vote those too. We thought this hands-on civics lesson for our 11 yr. old a better use of her dad’s vote than not using it at all.
Karen Talaveras last blog post..Non-Voters: Opt-Out or Cop-Out?
Thanks for the comments, all. Karen — I love the fact that your daughter (more or less) actually “voted.”
And I agree - what an election for them (and us) to remember.