This story was originally published byKids TodayVox’s newsletter about kids, for everyone.Sign up here for future editions.
My older child knows it was election week, but her biggest concern was her school’s scholastic book fair. My toddler, who is 2, doesn’t know what an election is.
It is, of course, a privilege to be indifferent to national occasions, a privilege not possessed by every child — Millions of children Those who live with unauthorized immigrant parents, for example, could be deeply affected by Trump’s “mass deportation” plan if he is able to follow through on it. And the outcome of the election will affect the future of all children in the United States and around the world through its impact on climate change, American democracy, foreign policy and more.
I will be talking to my kids about all these issues months and years ahead. If you want to start more conversations with the kids in your life about elections and democratic participation, Vox’s Allie Volpe has tips on how to do just that. I especially like her advice on teaching children about civic engagement, something that can be easier to do at the local level.
My oldest wrote New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year to protest proposed cuts to the library budget (okay, he ordered it), and Adams eventually reversed those cuts, thanks in no small part to Over 174,000 letters He received from concerned New Yorkers. It was a hopeful moment in what (at least for adults) was a year of great political pressure. I think my kid felt like he could have a real impact on our city, however small (his campaign to re-instate the value of inertia has yet to bear the same fruit).
Children’s lives are often hyperlocal—they are most influenced by their families, their schools, their immediate communities. In a way, though, it’s true of all of us — my colleague Marina Bolotnikova recently noted that her strategy for managing election anxiety was to “realize and adjust how much more my standard of living has to do with state/local politics than with national elections. That My attention accordingly.”
As we all process this week’s election results, I’ll be thinking about what my family and I can do on a local scale, and what’s many Already doingNo matter who is in the White House. I want to hear from you too—have the children in your life asked about the election? How are they feeling? How do you talk to them about what’s going on and the future? What hopes and fears are you bringing up right now?
Contact at anna.north@vox.comAnd I’ll be back next week.
what am i reading
Thousands of New Jersey students Voted within this year New Jersey Mock ElectionA project to teach children about being an informed voter “We understand how American citizens determine our leadership. It’s really amazing,” said an eighth-grader NJ told Spotlight News.
As children’s school lunch accounts move online, payment processors are charging families a fee just to keep money in their accounts. Now is the USDA Moving to ban these fees — but not until the 2027-28 school year.
Children are Calling each other “Chat”. Also, “Ohio” is over.
My toddler demands to read over and over what she calls “raccoon” — actually Secret Pizza Party, The team that brought you Dragons love tacos. spp About a raccoon who dresses up as a human to steal pizza, and then there’s a party, and everyone wears masks for some reason. Honestly, I don’t understand this one.
from my inbox
A reader from Texas wrote that she brought her 7-year-old son to the polls this year. “The biggest deal he had was the poll workers who made a big deal about having ‘future voters’ there,” he said. “Kids usually love getting stickers, but she seemed particularly pleased with this one.”
“My wife took our little girl this week,” he added. “He seemed equally pleased with the stickers and the biggest highlight was his loud exclamation, ‘Washington for President! I want Washington for president!’
It’s an unorthodox suggestion, but one apparently shared by quite a few voters wrote “George Washington” on their 2020 ballot; Other write-in candidates included Mickey Mouse, the Hulk, and “Giant Meteor”.
