Politics: A Big Jumbled Mess

Talking politics with our teens should definitely be on the table-talk agenda, in my opinion. So, Sunday morning breakfast table-talk included the presidential candidates and I was surprised when my daughter was the one who actually sparked conversation on the topic. Although she is only 15 and isn't able to vote, it was great to talk to her about how she feels about the candidates, the basic issues from a teenager's perspective and who she would vote for if she could vote in November.

After a brief discussion she informed me she would vote for Obama. When I asked her why, she simply stated that she liked him more than "the other guy that seems awkward and that lady from Alaska that seems like she doesn't know very much." She said Obama seems like he cares more and that she thinks our country has come a long way when it comes to civil and equal rights for all races. She, in her 15-year old way, said "Obama being our president would be good to show that we are all equal, mom." I did not agree or disagree because this conversation was about her opinion from her perspective based on what she has seen and heard on television and the talk swirling around campus at her high school.

The question that followed from me was more general as I wanted to measure her feeling about politics in general. Her answer to my "How do you feel about politics" inquiry made me chuckle and realize that she spoke the words that so many of us, all ages and religions and colors, are thinking. She simple said, "I don't like politics at all because it is just a big jumbled mess."

And there it is...out of the mouths of babes.