Kiddie politics
My nine-year-old son, who has been repeatedly singing the catchy campaign jingle of one of the presidential aspirants (albeit with bastardized lyrics), wanted to know who I will be voting for in the upcoming elections. He also wanted to know why. I only took his questions semi-seriously and basically answered him in a joking manner. But when he also told me later that he was going to “vote” for the same person because I was, I realized that I had just missed an invaluable “teachable moment.” His curiosity had been piqued and, the entire political telenovela aside, it was an ideal yet unplanned opportunity to offer my insights to him about what being a good leader is all about. Alas, I should have properly sensed and seized the moment.
Our children may seem like they are too young to understand what’s happening around them, but I’ve been astounded by the comments and observations my children have made so far. When my eleven-year-old daughter saw huge signs on several pedestrian bridges “thanking” a certain female leader for building them, she commented, “Why is she thanking her own self?” As a follow-up question, she asked if the leader used her own money to build the bridges! On another occasion, my daughter told us that she did not believe the promises of one candidate in his campaign jingle. She wondered how the candidate can truly claim that he can make everyone rich. How will he do that, she asked, will he give away all his money and build houses for everyone? On the other hand, my son quizzed me one day about the meaning of “propaganda” and what made a street a “major street.” He had apparently memorized a sign (up to the ordinance number) that announced the banning of campaign posters and streamers on all major streets and thoroughfares in our city. Since then, he has been busily scanning the streets and pointing out the various violations every time we drive to and from school. My son and daughter have also asked me why a candidate who they heard had been convicted of stealing money is even running for an elected position! Needless to say, I’ve been rattled on how to properly answer all their questions. It makes me wonder whether we should have a panel of children ask the questions in the next Presidential Debate. Let the candidates see if they can fool the kids!
I don’t know if the generations who are going to vote on May 10 are discerning enough to choose the right leaders. But I do think that the process of developing a mature electorate starts with the people who cannot vote yet — our children. As parents, we need to realize that one of our most important goals is to raise children who grow up to become responsible voting citizens. I am not sure when the right time to start is, but I think that we ought to begin walking them through the political process even at a very young age. Perhaps we can start with explaining in very general terms why we vote, the actual mechanics of voting, and the various positions we elect people to. I recall that as early as a few years ago, my children had already started asking me what a mayor and vice mayor do and how different those roles are compared to the President and Vice President. I have discovered that such seemingly simple questions are not that easy to answer too! And so we need to do some studying and research ourselves. As they grow older and the questions progress to more complex matters such as campaign practices, it will invariably lead to discussions about the qualifications of this or that candidate and/or the pros and cons of certain issues. While it is natural for us to influence our child’s political thinking, I believe that it is also important to nurture our children to think on their own and to develop their own political views.
With more than two months before Election Day, I know that many more “teachable moments” about democracy — as well as integrity, honor, truthfulness, and respect — will present themselves to us parents. These are priceless opportunities, not just for us to teach our children about these ideals, but also to reflect on how much we may have compromised our own values and beliefs. Given the current state of Philippine politics, I know that many of us are pessimistic that the elections will change anything (let alone that there will really even be one). But while our generation may already be hopeless, I continue to have hope in our children. Driving to school the other day, I jokingly asked my kindergarten nephew if he would vote for a candidate who offered him a thousand pesos or a candidate who told him to be a good boy. At first he smiled naughtily and said that he wanted the money. He then shrugged his shoulders and said, “Sige na nga, good boy na lang!”
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Countdown To Earth Hour
As part of Earth Hour, a global initiative spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness on climate change, participating companies, families, and individuals across the globe will turn off their non-essential lights on March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. In partnership with WWF Philippines, Sustagen is sponsoring a Kids Earth Hour at 9th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, SM Mall of Asia’s San Miguel by the Bay, and Level 3 TriNoma Park. Starting 6 p.m., kids can play hopscotch, velcroman and hopball, jump on giant trampolines, rock climb, Earth Walk, and go through giant spiderwebs at these locations as they await the countdown to Earth Hour.
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Please e-mail your reactions to kindergartendad@yahoo.com.
