What Kind of Political Parent are You?
With the election quickly approaching, and the country as divided as ever, it’s nearly impossible not to impart some sort of political consciousness in our children — and that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually imperative that we talk to our children about controversial issues (like politics and social justice) from a very young age while their brain is undergoing extensive neurological and psychological development. A child’s prefrontal cortex, or the part of the brain that involves complex cognitive processing like decision making, social behavior, and morality, continues to mature and develop into their mid-twenties.
This means that a parent has 25 years to help their child 1.) Develop a sense of morality and 2.) Learn how to think critically about any given subject. These two objectives work in cooperation with one another so that one’s morals or ethics can be altered to some extent when critical thinking dictates. Does this mean that our morals and critical thinking skills are locked in at 25? Of course not, but by that point much of our core values have been disseminated throughout multiple areas of our brain, which makes unlearning destructive or ineffective ideas or thought processes much more difficult.
With this in mind, it’s important that parents talk to their children about controversial topics in the right way in order to best aid the development of these critical skills and aspects of our humanity. When it comes to political consciousness, we can condition their development or foster it. Let’s take a look at characteristics that make up each of these behaviors.
Characteristics of Conditioning Political Consciousness
- Talking about issues (not just political or social justice in nature) in terms of either/or. Psychologists have long cautioned the use of either/or thinking because it’s a false dilemma, or a common deficiency in thinking that undermines the logic of an argument due to false claims, irrelevant information, or lack of evidence. Either/or thinking discounts or ignores the gray in any situation and limits your child to a narrow and binary understanding of complicated issues.
- Only talking about issues you care about. Often, parents will lecture or expose their children to issues they find pressing or problematic, limiting the scope of a child’s exposure and understanding of the greater world. This, in turn, raises a child to believe that the issues they’ve never heard about are less important or even non-existent.
- Engaging with negative propaganda without reflecting on it together. When negative campaign ads arise against certain political candidates (usually those opposite of the party the parent supports), some parents may ignore the ad and others may actively voice their support of the ad’s contents. From this behavior, the child learns that 1.) Political ads are a valuable component to political decision making, and 2.) Everything within an “attack ad” is true or correctly presented.
- Refusing to expose a child to certain issues and concepts. This ties in somewhat to the second characteristic but specifically focuses on purposeful and forced ignorance. Some parents pick and choose what their child learns about in an effort to “protect” them. Usually these issues involve race, gun control, or sex. This behavior limits the child’s ability to talk about these subjects effectively as they get older. Other parents restrict information because they know that limiting access to certain topics greatly hinders their child’s ability to empathize with the issue in question.
- Talking on the issue directly, rather than talking on the values behind the issue, and attacking the opposing side. It’s very common for parents to declare their position on a subject without connecting their position to a core value. When core values are invoked in political decision making, parents who condition their child’s political consciousness tend to fall victim to cognitive dissonance, or inconsistency between their actions and their values. If a parent attacks the opposing side rather than explains the opposing side to their child, they all but ensure their child will hold negative and potentially dangerous ideas about people who disagree with them.
Conditioning the development of a child’s political consciousness makes it more likely that the child will perpetuate the core values and beliefs of the parent. Even if the child has wide and varied experiences throughout their life that could serve as a catalyst to change some of those core beliefs, a change won’t occur if the child never fully developed their critical thinking skills. Conditioning exists on both sides of the Right vs. Left political divide — so don’t assume you’re immune.
Characteristics of Fostering Political Consciousness
- Talking about issues as existing within a spectrum. One of my favorite philosophers, Jacques Derrida, wrote extensively on the perils of either/or understanding. Although it’s an oversimplification of his overall philosophy, Derrida argued that everything in this world has shadows and nothing exists exactly as it is. When we talk to our children about nuance, we give them the gift of critical thinking, which will empower them to make difficult decisions both effectively and ethically. This skill will also help them in relationships, as many relationships are put in jeopardy due to black and white thinking.
- Taking the time to learn about new issues together. There will always be issues and concepts that we are unfamiliar with. Parents who wish to foster political consciousness within their children will go out of their way to educate themselves on unfamiliar issues — even issues that do not effect them directly. I’m not suggesting that parents spend all of their time researching absolutely every issue that crosses their path, but it is important that parents don’t limit themselves or their children to caring about issues that only effect them. This practice will inhibit a child’s ability to empathize with issues that effect others but not themselves.
- Educating your child about the rhetorical fallacies that drive propaganda and narratives within every election season. There are three types of rhetorical fallacies: Emotional (ex. draping oneself in the American flag or invoking tradition), Ethical (ex. strawman or oversimplifying opponents position), and Logical (ex. either/or thinking, Non Sequitur, or over generalizations). A parent that wishes to foster political consciousness in their child knows that it’s going to be important that their child can recognize rhetorical fallacies in political campaigns — even in the ads of candidates the parent supports. No political side is innocent of rhetorical fallacies, and it’s important children see that.
- Proactively educating about our government, the nature of power, and the issues that surround them both. Despite what some will tell you, children are never too young to start learning about how our country was built and how it’s run. Teaching basic concepts and skills, like how a system works or how to talk about tough subjects respectfully, will aid in the development of their cognitive processing skills. Don’t be afraid to tackle controversy or speak your opinion on a subject, just ensure that you present issues as they exist on a spectrum and speak about opposing view points fairly and respectfully. Children need to know other people disagree with their parents and they need to feel confident that they can disagree with their parents on the issues without fear of retribution or disappointment. The power a parent wields is the child’s first experience with power, and teaching your child how to examine and delineate power structures will help develop their critical thinking skills.
- Bring everything back to values. Research has shown that the best way to interact with someone about politics and social justice is to speak on your values rather than specific issues. A child that can think critically about their own values will make political decisions that reflect that skill. We don’t need to tell our children how to vote if they’ve developed a good sense of what they need to know in order to vote according to their values. In general, a parent who fosters political consciousness doesn’t teach their child what to think; they teach them how to think.
Fostering is by far the harder parenting choice, but, in my opinion, it’s better than conditioning for the development of a child’s prefrontal cortex. By presenting the full picture, rather than microscopic or partial aspects, parents can feel confident that they’ve given their child the necessary skills to be an effective, thoughtful, and respectful civilian. It’s important to realized that no one exists on either pole of this rudimentary binary (myself included), but a parent’s behavior usually embodies one side of the spectrum more often than the other.
So, which behavior do you engage in? Conditioning or Fostering? We’re all going to make choices that have characteristics of both from time to time. Even so, if we’re conscious of the impact our behavior has on a child’s cognitive processing development, we’ll raise children better prepared to navigate the political sphere.
