My grandmother spent weeks trying to teach my toddler new words: Barack Hussein. Muslim. Kenya. Can you tell she's a Republican?
I refused to take the bait. My husband and I haven't decided if our daughter will skew Democrat or (eeek) Republican. Because it's not really our decision to make. Although a Michigan State University study recently showed most Americans cast our ballots based on party rather than issues, we're all about raising an issues child.
We're pro-choice (although not really pro-abortion). We're pro-gay marriage. We're fiscally conservative. And we've been known to vote on either side of the fence - chiefly in local elections. In other words - we're fiercely independent (or neither party would want us, but that's another story). And we'd like to think our child will be too.
So what's the problem? A study back in the 1970s by Kent Jennings and Richard Niemi found that parents are "more effective at transmitting their political party affiliation than their beliefs on specific political issues." A piece called "Ask the Kid" in a New Hampshire newspaper proved their point this week. Asked if they'd pick Biden or Palin, the 10-year-old asked which was a Democrat, which was a Republican. When he got the answer, he said Palin. "Because our family usually votes for Republicans."
So beliefs = bad; party politics = good? The fact that the last substantial study on the issue is three decades old gives me more than a litte pause - despite the piece in the Concord Monitor. I don't know what party my parents belong to, even today. I was always told that asking a person "who did you vote for" was akin to asking a woman her age - you don't do it. And yet, the values that drive my vote come from my parents. They too are pro-choice. They too are fiscally conservative. They never needed to tell me to check the box for "independent" when I signed my voter registration card. I simply did.
To be raising a child to think as a "Democrat" or as a "Republican" seems almost counterintuitive to our job as parents. You want bi-partisanship? Then I believe you raise a child to fight for what's right rather than a particular side. You raise them with good values - the sort that mirror our own. And on the day they turn 18, we should march them over to the DMV or the voter registrar's office and say, "You're ready. Register however you feel, but just register."
Image: Proud Brand
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