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View Full Version : Who thinks this kind of thing is ok???



anonomom
11-05-2012, 09:28 PM
DD1 got off the bus today and asked me if it's true that, since President Obama is black, he "got rid of" a bunch of white people. We talked about it a little and it came out that another (different) kid told her that Obama's a thief.

I'm sorry, but whuck? How is it ok for parents to be selling this garbage to their 6 year olds? We have been SO careful to tell DD that everyone is entitled to their opinion and that it's one of the great things about this country that we have choices in elections. We would NEVER badmouth a candidate we disagree with in front of DD, let alone spread nasty, racist lies. What kind of person does that???

cuca_
11-05-2012, 09:38 PM
We had a similar experience today! DD2 had a mock election at school and when she came home from school she told me that she had not voted for Obama because a kid in her class told her that he had blown up a building and killed a million people!! I'm hoping that kids hear tidbits of their parents conversations and then come to extreme and false conclusions on their own.

Like you, I try to emphasize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just had another conversation with her about. This time I did tell her that not everything she hears about the candidates is true. That sometimes people misunderstand things or hear things that are not true and just repeat it without knowing it is a lie.

I am soo ready for tomorrow to be over!!

fivi2
11-05-2012, 10:10 PM
mine (first grade) came home with a much less frightening political rumor - they were very worried because a friend heard that if Romney is elected he will take away Disney Jr and Pbs kids.

DrSally
11-05-2012, 10:12 PM
Yeah. Today Ds came home ( first grade) and said a kid in his class said that" Obama kills babies". Wow. I said that is absolutely untrue, and that everybody is able to vote for whomever they choose, but we don't tell lies about the either candidate.

speo
11-05-2012, 11:34 PM
mine (first grade) came home with a much less frightening political rumor - they were very worried because a friend heard that if Romney is elected he will take away Disney Jr and Pbs kids.

Love this! :hysterical:

bisous
11-05-2012, 11:37 PM
I really, really hope that this is just a bad "translation" of adult discussions. I know my kids are guilty of terribly mishearing things about much less charged, nuanced subjects and conveying them terribly! I'm sure there are some awful bigots or totally whacked out people out there but kids are also terrible about remember "details" about grownup conversations.

But no, I don't think that is okay!

wellyes
11-05-2012, 11:44 PM
Yikes. I am someone who believes that dissent is patriotic. But I also believe in teaching kids to respect the office of the President. What a shame.

buddyleebaby
11-05-2012, 11:52 PM
I really, really hope that this is just a bad "translation" of adult discussions. I know my kids are guilty of terribly mishearing things about much less charged, nuanced subjects and conveying them terribly! I'm sure there are some awful bigots or totally whacked out people out there but kids are also terrible about remember "details" about grownup conversations.



This.
My five year old came home and told me that if she could vote, she would vote for President Obama because "he made lots of good laws". I asked her what laws he made that she thought were good and she told me "like everyone having to wear seatbelts in the car!".

kristenk
11-05-2012, 11:57 PM
DD is firmly in the "Team Obama" camp - unless Mitt Romney has a cat, in which case she'd like him to win. :rotflmao:

wellyes
11-06-2012, 12:11 AM
DD came home from preschool with an election flyer from Scholastic or some similar group. It said Mitt Romney loves horses and granola, while Barack Obama loves chili and his dog Bo. She was stumped for a few minutes, but ended up endorsing Obama. Because he looks more like a dad, while Romney looks more like a granddad.

crl
11-06-2012, 12:16 AM
DD came home from preschool with an election flyer from Scholastic or some similar group. It said Mitt Romney loves horses and granola, while Barack Obama loves chili and his dog Bo. She was stumped for a few minutes, but ended up endorsing Obama. Because he looks more like a dad, while Romney looks more like a granddad.

:hysterical: Last election ds was in preschool and they "voted". He voted for both Obama and McCain! "To be fair"

Catherine

MamaMolly
11-06-2012, 10:03 AM
We had a similar experience today! DD2 had a mock election at school and when she came home from school she told me that she had not voted for Obama because a kid in her class told her that he had blown up a building and killed a million people!!

I'd bet money that this was a confusion of Obama and Osama. Even Michelle would admit it is an easy mistake to make ;).

deborah_r
11-06-2012, 01:29 PM
My son heard if Romney is president he is getting rid of Elmo. I hope he hasn't heard anything worse that he isn't telling me.

hillview
11-06-2012, 01:38 PM
DS1 heard about what Romney did to his dog and is therefore voting for Obama.

Pennylane
11-06-2012, 03:04 PM
DS1 heard about what Romney did to his dog and is therefore voting for Obama.

Just curious, what did he do ?

Ann

ladysoapmaker
11-06-2012, 03:13 PM
Just curious, what did he do ?

Ann

Back when his boys were were still living at home they went on a family vacation and didn't have enough room in the car for the dog. So that they could take the dog with them, they crated the dog and put the crate on the roof of the car.

Jen

citymama
11-06-2012, 03:30 PM
OP, your post is very very disturbing!

pastrygirl
11-06-2012, 03:41 PM
My 6-year-old mistranslated something I told him about this morning, and the first thing I thought was what other parents would think about me! I was trying to explain something delicately without making either candidate sound like a monster, even though the topic is itself monstrous. Although what my son said was not a cruel or direct attack (aka a candidate actively does/doesn't do something), I still wasn't happy with the conclusion he drew and how he put it into words. It was not pretty.

kijip
11-08-2012, 06:49 AM
Probably one of the same sadly loud but thankfully minority of the population who maintain that Obama is a "secret Muslim"

Although, T has translated some of what I have said to construe that I think Obama is a pretty bad president so who knows what they heard.

icunurse
11-08-2012, 12:07 PM
During the last election, my jaw dropped with this from another student in my DS's K class....
Teacher: ok, whose job is it to clean up after snacks? (They do jobs like line leader, snack helper, etc.)
Another student: I didn't get a job this week.
Teacher: well, there aren't enough jobs for everyone to have one every week.
Political student: If Obama wins, there will be a lot of people without jobs because he is going to take them away.
Classroom parents : -silence-

Clearly, the kid heard a lot of discussion at home because that is too specific to just be made up or misunderstood by a five year old.

I have also heard several times from kids that Obama is a baby killer (based on his pro choice stance). Sorry, but those words should not be said in front of or repeated by a child.

Over here, we try to break down the basics of the differences between candidates and tell our kids that different people have different ideas on how the US should be run. When DS made a comment about being uneasy if Romney won because he doesn't believe things the way that we do, I told him that just because it is different, we just have to hope that it will work for the best outcome. And, no matter what, we respect the President, even when we disagree.

ha98ed14
11-08-2012, 12:42 PM
What kind of person does that???

:bag I told DD that if Prop 30 didn't pass, the schools would run out of money and no one would be able to go to school. It was a weak moment.

But I agree, I would never say anything about a person. When DD asked me if Romney was a "bad guy" I told her no, he was a good guy; I just did not think he would be a very good leader. But I've also emphasized that this is MY opinion and other people we know (MIL & FIL) see it differently.