“Talking about elections can be kind of a scary topic.”
Jason Lheureux is the Associate Director for Residential Programs at Wedgwood Christian Services, a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit specializing in youth counseling. Lheureux has created a resource sheet providing tips on how parents can talk to their kids about elections. He says parents learning the facts about specific topics is a great way to prepare for those conversations.
“Elections and the electoral process are a very emotional subject and so it’s important that you can communicate to your youth confidence and assertiveness, to stay calm, to make sure they know that everything is going to be okay, and then that prepares them for having a dialogue.”
Lheureux says it’s not uncommon for youth to feel some fear or trepidation when hearing adults talk divisively about politics, so it’s important to remind them that everyone is part of the political process, which is bigger than any one person.
“Talking to our youth about how to have a disagreement with another person, talking to our youth about how to show respect and focusing on that process, I think is a great model.”
Lheureux also advises to help youth recognize the difference between a fact and an opinion and that, even if you disagree with someone, you can do so respectfully and with kindness.
Lheureux’s tip sheet:
