This is What I Told My Children About the Trump Election Victory
Since Tuesday night, I’ve been struggling to find words. I knew when I woke up my children the next morning – ages almost-16; 11; and almost-7 – that I’d have to answer their questions about who won the election and why Trump won.
Before going to bed last night, my oldest said, in part, “…It’s really going to suck being an 18-year-old girl, if Trump wins.” My son was mad when I told him that no, we weren’t going to move to Canada, even if they do have “mooses, snow, and lots of syrup.” And my youngest said, “Dada, I don’t wike Twump. He’s mean and not nice to people.”
I did the only thing I could do: I apologized to my oldest for the country forcing her and others her age to transition into hers and their adulthood under a Trump presidency. I told all three of them that while Trump isn’t who we wanted as the next president, what’s done is done and we will continue to do what we’ve always tried to raise them to do:
Be good people and lead by example.
Don’t be bullies.
Treat people the way they would want to be treated in return.
Stand up for those who cannot defend themselves.
To fight the good fight, always.
Thanks for the thoughtful post. Here’s what we told our kids, twins age 10 (boy/girl)
– Even though he has done and said bad things, everyone deserves a chance to be a better person. This is his chance
– Our government is run on a system of checks and balances and now he has to govern within it
– We’re in a privileged situation in where we live and the money we have that it is not really going to impact us as a family but those less fortunate may struggle more which means we need to fight harder and do more for equity.