Children Need To Understand What Is Happening In Politics Today

A guide to help parents and teachers talk about the sense of entitlement that is pervasive in the US

Introduction

I am not a medical doctor nor am I a sociologist. I am a highly experienced educator and I am a mom.

My life experiences cause me to be led by my moral compass. This leads me to believe that truth must prevail.

Parents and educators are among the individuals who are the custodians and protectors of children. It is our responsibility to light their path in life to enable them to discern and embrace truth.

The current political climate that seems to prevail in the United States affirms the need to speak truth into the lives of children. This article serves as a guide for parents and educators to have courageous conversations with the children, students, and young people in their lives.

The Power of Truth

As it relates to the status of the current presidential election, powerful life lessons can be taught to children. The most influential adults in their lives must be willing to become transparent and honest so that they address the current political state of affairs with them.

No matter what an individual’s status is in life, no matter how powerful or lowly they are, regardless of their social position, level of education or any other aspect associated with being a human being, the concept of winning and losing is a fact of life. Just because a person is popular among their followers and peers, is extremely talented, and appears to be the best at what they do does not guarantee a winning spot in life. Since competition is another fact of life, some individuals are destined to assume the spot of losing their unique race. Sometimes failing becomes an option because winning escapes one’s grasp.

If children fail to learn these basic life lessons, several adverse consequences will erupt.

1. They will grow to become individuals who develop an inappropriate sense of entitlement. In this case, they will adopt the personal believe that they are owed exactly what they want no matter what.
2. Children who lack the ability to acknowledge and accept their imperfections are likely to erupt in explosive and ranting episodes of anger, denial, and blame when they lose. This behavior will probably follow them into adulthood if they do not receive interventions to correct their perspective. Discipline and guidance are what is required.
3. Parents and other significant adults in the child’s life who fail to adequately guide their development by helping them learn how to lose with dignity will pay a hefty lifelong price. They will be the ones who will have to go through very extraordinary measures to soothe and appease them when they fail to get what they want in life. Pacifying these spoiled children well beyond adulthood with promises, favors, material possessions, and so much more will have to continue forever. Long after parents are gone, these individuals with find other individuals and groups of people who will be the parental surrogates to flatter, gratify, and appease them.
4. Children who maintain their entitled persona are likely to develop antisocial tendencies as they mature when they fail to win. They are likely to hurl insults, ridicule, and humiliate others perceived as less powerful than they are to compensate for their lose.

The important winning and losing life principles must be discussed with children and young people. Such conversations should begin at their earliest beginnings and they must be continuously reinforced.

Parents have the highest level of accountability to contribute to the character development of their children. The developmental level of their children will help parents determine the strategies that needs to be used to teach these ethical truths to them.

What We Are Witnessing Right Now

The entire world has been witnessing the impact of a spoiled old man who has lived his entire life filled with entitlement, privilege, wealth, and power. At age 74, the enraged President Donald Trump has been throwing a massive temper tantrum because he lost the 2020 presidential election. For the first time in his life, he has been unable to use his powerful influence to get the thing that he covets the most. Republicans and other powerful entities have been giving him space to declare that the democratic election process was a fraud because he did not win a second term. (Parents classified as poor parents give their children who have been pampered and catered to space to throw temper tantrums, too.)

The president refuses to concede, offer any type of congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden, or support the required protocols to ensure the transition of power. Instead, Donald Trump continues to rant about the election being stolen from him due to voter fraud. He continues to exhaust his efforts for litigation with no success. The process of recounting votes in several states affirms his standing as the loser.

Trump supporters continue to rally around him to soothe his wounded ego. Their undeniable loyalty to all things Trump shields him from the reality of his indisputable election loss. This was evidenced during the Million MAGA March in Washington, DC held on November 14, 2020, where thousands of his cult-like followers rallied to endorse his charismatic and persuasive rhetoric.

I recently wrote an article summarizes the impact that entitlement has had on the president as he failed to secure enough electoral votes to be declared the winner. The link is shown below.

Major character flaws are in perfect harmony with the true person that Donald Trump really is. While he is fully accountable for his actions and reactions as a grown man who has lived many years on this earth, I believe that his mother and father had parenting failures and shortcomings that contributed to the development of his despicable disposition. Here is an article that I wrote about this.

This affirms the reality that poor parenting has a lasting effect and enduring impact on one’s life and the lives of others.

Advice for Parents

As the political saga with Donald Trump plays and replays unbelievably, parents need to engage with their children about what they witness. This is especially true because children are becoming increasing confused about the child-like actions of the president. This makes it necessary for parents to also take proactive measures as it relates to raising their children to be responsible and positive global citizens.

My suggestions for parents are shown below.

1. Teach your children to adhere to ethical truths and principles that you value within your family and within our nation. Whether these things are reinforced through family traditions or are faith-based in nature, adhere to these teachings throughout your child’s life. Always remember to apply these principles to every component of their life.
2. Be a positive example. Your children observe all that you say and do. Be transparent with them when you have to deal with defeat in your life. Use such opportunities that mirror the expectations that you establish for them.
3. Provide opportunities for your children to become a member of a team early in their life. Athletic activities are one of many wonderful ways for children to learn what the concepts of winning and losing are all about, especially at a very young age. Being a member of a team also helps children develop a strong work ethic and releases them to grow to understand that hard work creates great benefits. Team membership also reinforces the reality that there is no shame in losing. This is what sportspersonship and healthy competition are all about.
4. Create opportunities for your family to engage in service activities. Extending kindness to others builds the capacity for children to also develop authentic empathy and compassion for others.
5. Use the concept of a family meeting to have an honest discussion about the reaction of Donald Trump and his sympathizers. Provide your children with opportunities to respond to open-ended questions about the president being an angry, vindictive sore loser as well as why his followers wholeheartedly endorse everything about Trump.

Advice for Teachers

Most teachers are in a precarious position as it relates to engaging with students about the behavior of Donald Trump. The reasons are very simple.

Most schools and school districts are highly politicized organizations. Students, families, board of school directors and the community at large are likely to endorse one political party over the other. Their viewpoints may also reflect extremism. If school employees express their political disposition while working with students, the aforementioned powerful community entities are likely to take offense and may endeavor to have corrective actions imposed against them. Furthermore, school personnel must remain knowledgeable about policies related to offering public political endorsements while on the job. Because of these things, teachers and other educators must maintain a stance that accentuates political neutrality while interacting with their students. However, they must be led by their moral compass by remaining true to their convictions.

Here are my recommendations for educational leaders, teachers, and other school personnel to adhere to in response to the refusal of Donald Trump to acknowledge his defeat.

1. Seize opportunities to describe what the democratic process encompasses when opportunities authentically and naturally present themselves during student interactions.
2. Be ready to help children and young people understand what the qualities of ethical leadership and citizenship are. This includes highlighting the positive human characteristics that promote unconditional truth, honestly, goodness, empathy, compassion, love, respect, acceptance, unity, and humility. Relevant conversations about this topic may easily be integrated in curricular studies and classroom discussions.
3. Educators must be a positive role model for their learners at all times. They must always be an example of the positive human characteristics listed above. Students need to be able to look up to their teachers, principals, coaches, and others who interact with them in an educational setting.
4. Teachers must respond to questions that students present to them about the failures of Donald Trump, the 2020 election results, and other related topics in a factual manner. Their responses to student inquiries should not be based upon their emotions.
5. Educators must promote the team spirit within their classrooms their and school. Concepts associated with sportspersonship must continuously be emphasized as students work together and when they work with adults at school. These ideas include competition, winning and losing with dignity and respect, and the power of hard work and determination.

Conclusion

Donald Trump continues to challenge the democratic process that has historically prevailed in the United States. He refuses to come to terms with the reality that he did not win the 2020 presidential election. The president has diligently supported his claim by endlessly litigating his case. He has been relentless in his quest to prove that the states that he lost and the thousands of citizens who cast their legitimate votes engaged in fraudulent activity.

Donald Trump is actively denigrating all protocols connected to the transfer of power to President Elect Joe Biden by having a political tantrum. This is because has lived a life of entitlement and he has had the privilege of getting whatever he has wanted in his life. Since Donald Trump creates and lives by his own rules and has established a high degree of status in his life, he has hardcore followers who passionately admire him. These Trump disciples also stand with the president and endorse his belief that the presidential race was stolen from him.

The unprecedented and unwarranted response of Donald Trump is inexcusable. Sadly, children and young people are susceptible to becoming confused by the immature and inappropriate behavior of the president because he did not win the election. Adults are the protectors of children. It is critical for the most influential adults in a child’s life to intervene and speak reason into their life so that the confusion is eliminated. Children and young people must understand what truth is and they must understand that it must prevail in life.

This article has provided parents and educators with intervention strategies to use while interacting with their children and students about our current political climate.

Thank you for reading this story. What are your thoughts about the impact of political entitlement on our youngest members of society?

Thank you Jeanne Yacoubou for requesting explicit advice for parents and teachers regarding what to say to children about the political entitlement that is pervasive in the United States at this time.

Here is my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired Teacher and School Administrator. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and her YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS1DPhBeA29UlybU9jzDkdQ.