My whole social media feed is filled with comments of people in shock & devastation.
Donald Trump won the 2016 election and I obviously have a lot of Democrat friends.
My credibility as a Mom is compromised. I assured my kids that Donald Trump wouldn’t win.
Great lesson: even Mom gets it wrong sometimes!
Trump is not a good choice, but I’m too much of an optimist to believe that this is devastation. The positive of Trump is that it opens up conversations with our kids. Let’s be honest there’s some pretty wicked cloaked people out there, Trump is different because his cloak is off. He’s a lot easier to see.
I remember my parents always said Archie Bunker was the best thing to happen to America because he showed us how not to be. He showed us how counterproductive and wrong a racist and chauvinist is. He helped swing the pendulum to equal rights.
A good, smart, friend of mine said “People always think that the previous power sucked. Now is the opportunity for change. Clinton hasn’t helped herself but there’s an innate drive to check out and see what the other side has to offer. With no incumbent the choice is easier. It doesn’t explain a possible victory but the grass always seems greener.”
Hey, it’s why Canada elected Justin Trudeau, we were done with Stephen Harper.
America is terribly divided and always will be. The world will never have everyone on the same page when it comes to social and fiscal issues. It’s a great opportunity to talk to kids and adults about tolerance and recognizing that we need different perspectives to grow. I am sure there will be something good come out of Donald Trump’s time in the White House. We will learn something.
My daughter came bursting into my room this morning and said “TRUMP WON”. Her face was shock. But it was a great time to talk about politics and what it means. Leading up to this election my kids have been bringing up Trump’s name more and more. We are big Harry Potter fans, we read it every night before bed. My nine year old told me he thinks Donald Trump is Voldemort and his followers are death eaters.
This morning after the election he and my seven year old decided they needed to start the Order of the Phoenix.
All kidding aside, this US election has been a great opportunity to talk with my kids about politics. We talked about dictators, good leaders, bad leaders, political systems, how you get voted in and more. Talking is good.
One person can change a lot, but don’t kid yourself, the political chain makes it challenging to truly execute anything instantly. We will all be OK, but it is going to be a reallllllly long four years. In the meantime take a deep breath and watch a few episodes of House of Cards, but not with your kids:)
MF
Great article. I’m still shaking my head. Trying to remain positive and hopefully see some positive changes. I’m trying………