Reply #13: thank you very much! [View All]

[renate]

I just didn't want to be freepery, criticizing despite the facts.

Along these lines, one of my kids' friends was over tonight and asked me whether I'm voting for Obama because I hate McCain or because I love Obama. (Can you guess?... his family votes for McCain.) I really don't like talking politics with kids, because that's something I want to leave to their parents, so I tried to be vague, although he knows how our family votes. Thinking about McCain's treatment of Carol, I said, Well, most people have made mistakes in their personal lives they wouldn't be proud of, but didn't give specifics, and then my daughter piped up and said something I had told her about how McCain had had a chance to leave prison in Vietnam because of his father's position and didn't take it. The kid was actually confused because wha....? you mean people can say something nice about their opponent? But I had made sure, when talking about McCain to my children, to give him the credit he was due. For one thing, it makes any subsequent criticism even more valid, :D, but it's just the decent thing to do.

It seems to be working because my kids are fantastic Democrats and huge Obama supporters and very nice people. :)