How to talk to your kids about the election
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Discussing the election can easily get heated; especially in the comfort o a home.
Jenna Glover, child psychologist for the Children's Hospital Colorado, says children absorb more than you think; especially when it comes to stress.
“Our kids look to us to understand the world," says Glover. "Oftentimes they look to us to understand things, so if you're upset about things, they may get very upset about things, too. ”
Glover says parents often stop heated discussions midway in fear of their kids seeing too much, but by that point, it’s actually is counter-productive.
“When we wait for kids to go to bed before we talk things out, we deny them the chance of learning how they can have those productive conversation and come to the middle and find compromise with another person,” says Glover.
But what happens when kids discuss the politics they hear at home, with their peers at school?
Leaders at Colorado Springs School District 11 say their students are allowed to speak openly about their political views and even wear it on their clothing, so long as it doesn’t disrupt the classroom.
“I think a lot of our teachers see it as an opportunity to talk about the two-party system, to talk about the electoral college, and how this election is a historic event,” says Devra Ashby, Chief Communications Officer for District 11.
Officials at Academy District 20 say their teachers have also had to mitigate talks of politics in the classroom, and it’s been an opportunity for students to learn how to agree to disagree.
“We tell them 'lets remember how we’re alike, let’s remember what connects us, and let’s remember we all have to make a decision, and we don’t always have to agree,'” says Allison Cortez, Chief Communications Officer for District 20.
Whether discussions about politics get heated at home or in the classroom, Glover say its most import for kids to know when to draw the line.
Glover they learn that from the example their parents set in the home.
“If you know you’re emotionally not in a place to have a discussion where it resorts to personal attacks, that’s when its not helpful for kids to see that kind of behavior."
Election season is also a great opportunity to teach your kid about informed decision making. One way to do this is by showing them your most-trusted resources, and having them do research on the election themselves.
