As parents, we do our best to prepare our kids for success and keep them safe. We pass on what we know and spend endless hours learning so we can protect them from a rapidly changing world. We watch shows to make sure they match our values, test new technology so we can help them adapt, and learn new skills to help them achieve their dreams. Doing this in an age of constant communication and fast-changing technology can be exhausting, but we do it because we love them. They are kind of us. We want to give them the opportunity we had and the ones we didn’t but wish we did.
Our children look to us for rules and guidance, to learn how to plan, deal with rejection, and build relationships. They want us to have the difficult conversations with them, like about death or sex.
When it’s time to have those difficult conversations, we do all the things we teach them to do. We study by reading books and articles, consulting with people we trust, like our parents and grandparents, outlining the conversation, and ensuring we communicate the important points. We create a space, turning something uncomfortable and scary into something natural and loving.
But what about politics?
We are living through unusually volatile political times. Our border is overrun, citizens are over-regulated, the country is drowning in debt, and the executive branch has far too much power. Congress suffers from problems with representation, incentives, and an imbalance of power that must be addressed to stabilize our republic. As Yuval Levin points out in his book American Covenant, the Constitution is under assault from the left and right. As our children grow, they will look to us for guidance.
Are you prepared?
If you’re a parent preparing for the difficult conversation of politics with their kids, Politics and Parenting can help. Politics isn’t much different from parenting. It sets rules and guidelines, plans for the future, and builds relationships, balancing the desires of the present with the responsibility of the future.
Politics and Parenting provides the information parents need to turn difficult conversations about politics with their kids into something natural. You’ll find historical and political information delivered not from a Republican or Democratic perspective but from a Madisonian perspective—not red or blue, but red, white, and blue.
Preparation starts with understanding the Constitution. An excellent place to start is with Yuval Levin’s new book, American Covenant. Levin explains the Constitution using five constitutional frameworks: legal, policymaking, institutional, political, and unity. (Click the links to get started)
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When we don’t understand something, little problems can seem big, and big problems seem like the end of the world. The anxiety of being unprepared can paralyze us. But with a little preparation, we can solve the little problems and break the big problems into something manageable. All we have to do is take it step by step and day by day, just like we teach our kids.
Peace & Love,
Jeff Mayhugh