Your Kids And Politics....

[Col Hogan]

Sounds 'bout like you're the only azzhole parent on here, Hoagenmeister.

And so, I'll ask again...will you honestly teach your kids something you believe is wrong???

If you say yes, I'll find that extremely hard to believe...

[Pwns]

Don't think this is really as much of an issue as people think. Does anyone really know anyone who has politics that are identical to those of those of a parent? If there is anyone, I sure haven't met them.

[Grizalltheway]

I don't have much time to indoctrinate my knuckle children before I flush them...

[Wedgebuster]

I don't have much time to indoctrinate my knuckle children before I flush them...

Yeah but you beat the hell out of them before that, so in effect..you did indoctrinate 'em.

[CID1990]

Do you force your political views on your kids or do you present a balanced picture to them to make their own calls?

Both our boys (12 and 8.5) think George W. Bush sucks and I know they picked that up from their mom, who complained about him a little too loudly at times. On fishing trips, the boys would ask me why Bush was a "bad" president and, in order to teach them a little about critical thinking and looking at both sides of an issue, I found myself actually defending Dubya on some things, for their sake. Didn't want them to "hate" any public figure and carry that hatred into their teens and adulthood, such as must have happened with people like T and Z and Hoagie and native and wildkyle, etc.

Same with religion. My youngest is an atheist, he says, and his older brother wants to be a Roman Catholic. We've run them through the pros and cons of belief and non-belief and were respectful to any side of the story.

So, what about you? Are your kids Conks like you and are they goosestepping to the Michigan Militia-McVeigh-Reagan-Rove beat like CSUBUCDAD's kids? Or, are they already wearing buckskin jackets, growing a beard, flying a rainbow flag and driving nails into lodgepole pines in Oregon's forests?

BOGUS LIBERAL CREDENTIALS ALERT!

No self respecting liberal would wear a buckskin jacket. Bambi had to die to make it.


As for your experience with your sons, I think you knew all along that there are good aspects to all of our past Presidents. I try to look at them through the lens of public service and love of country. I think that every President has had what they felt were the best interests of the country at heart.

I come from a family where my father is an old school libertarian conservative, Mom is an idiot liberal because it's cool amongst her post menopausal Internet girl's club, and my brother is LGBT liberal. My brother and I were brought up under the same circumstances by the same parents. We grew up on the same farm, went to the same church, all that. I think that in the end your politics reflect your adult experiences more than the experiences of your childhood. There are certainly prejudices that everyone develops early on, but I think that one's life is generally a long process of either confirming those prejudices or overturning them based on your ongoing experience. If I had never been a police officer, I might be much more socially liberal than I am. Had my brother been something other than a defense attorney or a consultant, he would certainly be more socially conservative. However, our childhoods growing up on the farm in a rural area probably went a long way towards shaping the libertarian streak that we both share. The fact that our parents instilled a pretty good ethical compass in both of us without any reference to politics makes us both prone to feeling a little under-represented in either of the two major political parties.

I think that when my kids are old enough I'll let them make their own decisions and try to give them as much information as possible. I will probably have a difficult time refraining from teaching them that the only people who have their best interests at heart are their friends and family. I would think that if I am successful at teaching them to keep their own counsel on all things and use their intellect to tell them what is right and what is bullsh!t I will have done the best I can. Whether that translates into them being liberals, conservatives or libertarians I will leave to them.

[Wedgebuster]

Do you force your political views on your kids or do you present a balanced picture to them to make their own calls?

Both our boys (12 and 8.5) think George W. Bush sucks and I know they picked that up from their mom, who complained about him a little too loudly at times. On fishing trips, the boys would ask me why Bush was a "bad" president and, in order to teach them a little about critical thinking and looking at both sides of an issue, I found myself actually defending Dubya on some things, for their sake. Didn't want them to "hate" any public figure and carry that hatred into their teens and adulthood, such as must have happened with people like T and Z and Hoagie and native and wildkyle, etc.

Same with religion. My youngest is an atheist, he says, and his older brother wants to be a Roman Catholic. We've run them through the pros and cons of belief and non-belief and were respectful to any side of the story.

So, what about you? Are your kids Conks like you and are they goosestepping to the Michigan Militia-McVeigh-Reagan-Rove beat like CSUBUCDAD's kids? Or, are they already wearing buckskin jackets, growing a beard, flying a rainbow flag and driving nails into lodgepole pines in Oregon's forests?

BOGUS LIBERAL CREDENTIALS ALERT!

No self respecting liberal would wear a buckskin jacket. Bambi had to die to make it.


As for your experience with your sons, I think you knew all along that there are good aspects to all of our past Presidents. I try to look at them through the lens of public service and love of country. I think that every President has had what they felt were the best interests of the country at heart.

I come from a family where my father is an old school libertarian conservative, Mom is an idiot liberal because it's cool amongst her post menopausal Internet girl's club, and my brother is LGBT liberal. My brother and I were brought up under the same circumstances by the same parents. We grew up on the same farm, went to the same church, all that. I think that in the end your politics reflect your adult experiences more than the experiences of your childhood. There are certainly prejudices that everyone develops early on, but I think that one's life is generally a long process of either confirming those prejudices or overturning them based on your ongoing experience. If I had never been a police officer, I might be much more socially liberal than I am. Had my brother been something other than a defense attorney or a consultant, he would certainly be more socially conservative. However, our childhoods growing up on the farm in a rural area probably went a long way towards shaping the libertarian streak that we both share. The fact that our parents instilled a pretty good ethical compass in both of us without any reference to politics makes us both prone to feeling a little under-represented in either of the two major political parties.

I think that when my kids are old enough I'll let them make their own decisions and try to give them as much information as possible. I will probably have a difficult time refraining from teaching them that the only people who have their best interests at heart are their friends and family. I would think that if I am successful at teaching them to keep their own counsel on all things and use their intellect to tell them what is right and what is bullsh!t I will have done the best I can. Whether that translates into them being liberals, conservatives or libertarians I will leave to them.

JFC cid, just when I think I want to actually read your posts, you post a T-Man diatribe.

Don't get me wrong, I love the T, butt (no homo) this is too long.

[clenz]

I just don't believe all of it, that's all

Too bad....for your wife.

All I'm saying is that someone as opinionated as you, I can't see you not letting your kids know where you stand and that you think you are right and the other side is wrong...that's all. If your son that wants to be Catholic wanted you to go to mass with him would you? If he wants to be Catholic do you take him to mass every week and help him in his studies? I believe most of what you say, but I don't believe it all.



As for how I'd raise my kid, if I ever have one, I take them to church until they decide not to go anymore. It becomes their choice, if they want to become muslim I find a mosque for them in the area. However, they need a good reason for not going other than "I don't want to wake up to go on Sunday morning" or "Someone like Cap'n or D1 said religion is bull shit".


Politically they make their own choice. My parents didn't talk politics with me, so I had to make all my own choices and stances...no parental influence. I will always play devils advocate as well. If they want to talk politics that's fine, but I won't let them sit there and be 100% biased based on feelings. They need facts

[catamount man]

I have no children and by the grace of Almighty God will have none. As a Presbyterian, I believe God has foreordained all that has, is, and will ever come to pass. If keeping me childless is in His most awesome eternal decree, then so be it. I for one would hate the idea of my child rebelling against what I teach him to be true all in the spirit of "progression". In fact, If I have not married by the age of 40, I will strongly consider having a vasectomy to end my immediate bloodline seeing as I have no brothers. I have an 18 year old second cousin who can carry on the family name just as well although seeing the drug use on that side of the fence, no doubt from his parents liberal viewpoints, I will not hold out much hope. So for me, the case is settled.

[Appaholic]

I aborted my kids

[Mountaineer]

I can't get laid.

That's the short version.

[D1B]

Anyone with kids...and a brain....care to add to the thread?

[Cap'n Cat]

Too bad....for your wife.

All I'm saying is that someone as opinionated as you, I can't see you not letting your kids know where you stand and that you think you are right and the other side is wrong...that's all. If your son that wants to be Catholic wanted you to go to mass with him would you? If he wants to be Catholic do you take him to mass every week and help him in his studies? I believe most of what you say, but I don't believe it all.

Hey, c, some words of advice. If you don't know someone very well and 99% or your interaction is in the political forum of a fvcking football message board, you don't publicly insinuate that person is lying, especially when it comes to something about rearing their children. You badly extrapolated back there and it was offensive. Further, I would not do something like that to you. I take the raising of my children and their views of the world in which they are growing up, very fvcking seriously.

Refrain from posting in these such threads. You don't have children, you don't know. This kind of sh*t will keep yo0u off the Sharpest Poster list for decades because you don't think before you post.

[Cap'n Cat]

Sounds 'bout like you're the only azzhole parent on here, Hoagenmeister.

And so, I'll ask again...will you honestly teach your kids something you believe is wrong???

If you say yes, I'll find that extremely hard to believe...

First, should have referred to you as an azzhole. It know you're a good Dad.

Second, you're in the tiny minority here.




************

Conservatism isn't "wrong", I tell my kids, it's simply one of many sets of beliefs.

[Col Hogan]

And so, I'll ask again...will you honestly teach your kids something you believe is wrong???

If you say yes, I'll find that extremely hard to believe...

First, should have referred to you as an azzhole. It know you're a good Dad.

Second, you're in the tiny minority here.




************

Conservatism isn't "wrong", I tell my kids, it's simply one of many sets of beliefs.

First, thanks...I think I've raised some good kids...

But...how do you give "conservatism" proper credit when you reject numerous conservative tenants...

Because if you teach one side of an issue in depth...then simply mention that there's another side to the issue...that isn't fair, and infact, subtly that might teach the kid that the other view of that issue isn't worth much since Dad didn't go into depth on it...

Just a though...

I'm sure you are also a great dad...

[Cap'n Cat]

First, should have referred to you as an azzhole. It know you're a good Dad.

Second, you're in the tiny minority here.




************

Conservatism isn't "wrong", I tell my kids, it's simply one of many sets of beliefs.

First, thanks...I think I've raised some good kids...

But...how do you give "conservatism" proper credit when you reject numerous conservative tenants...

Because if you teach one side of an issue in depth...then simply mention that there's another side to the issue...that isn't fair, and infact, subtly that might teach the kid that the other view of that issue isn't worth much since Dad didn't go into depth on it...

Just a though...

I'm sure you are also a great dad...

Hey, we disagree. Let's move on.

[Col Hogan]

First, thanks...I think I've raised some good kids...

But...how do you give "conservatism" proper credit when you reject numerous conservative tenants...

Because if you teach one side of an issue in depth...then simply mention that there's another side to the issue...that isn't fair, and infact, subtly that might teach the kid that the other view of that issue isn't worth much since Dad didn't go into depth on it...

Just a though...

I'm sure you are also a great dad...

Hey, we disagree. Let's move on.

[UNI88]

I'm one of 9 kids and we run the spectrum from very liberal to very conservative. My parents never told us what to believe but focused instead on encouraging us to think and take responsibility for ourselves. I'm trying to do the same thing with my 3 kids. My sons' (8 & 10) grade school used the 2008 election as an opportunity to get kids excited about politics and to augment their civics lessons. The teachers were more liberal than conservative and we live in Illinois so Obama was the definite favorite among the teachers and students. They asked me who I was going to vote for and I told them Bob Barr and they asked me why I wasn't voting for Obama. We talked about it and even today they can remember the name of the candidate that I voted for instead of Obama. A lot of it was over their heads but we will continue to talk about it in the future and they will hopefully gain a better understanding and begin to develop a better sense of who they are.

I believe what I believe and I'm pretty sure I'm right but I can't say with absolute certainty that I am so I'm not going to push my kids into following blindly in my path. I want to help them find their own way.

[Cap'n Cat]

I'm one of 9 kids and we run the spectrum from very liberal to very conservative. My parents never told us what to believe but focused instead on encouraging us to think and take responsibility for ourselves. I'm trying to do the same thing with my 3 kids. My sons' (8 & 10) grade school used the 2008 election as an opportunity to get kids excited about politics and to augment their civics lessons. The teachers were more liberal than conservative and we live in Illinois so Obama was the definite favorite among the teachers and students. They asked me who I was going to vote for and I told them Bob Barr and they asked me why I wasn't voting for Obama. We talked about it and even today they can remember the name of the candidate that I voted for instead of Obama. A lot of it was over their heads but we will continue to talk about it in the future and they will hopefully gain a better understanding and begin to develop a better sense of who they are.

I believe what I believe and I'm pretty sure I'm right but I can't say with absolute certainty that I am so I'm not going to push my kids into following blindly in my path. I want to help them find their own way.

As it should be, 88.



It's that UNI education, too, brother.

[clenz]

All I'm saying is that someone as opinionated as you, I can't see you not letting your kids know where you stand and that you think you are right and the other side is wrong...that's all. If your son that wants to be Catholic wanted you to go to mass with him would you? If he wants to be Catholic do you take him to mass every week and help him in his studies? I believe most of what you say, but I don't believe it all.

Hey, c, some words of advice. If you don't know someone very well and 99% or your interaction is in the political forum of a fvcking football message board, you don't publicly insinuate that person is lying, especially when it comes to something about rearing their children. You badly extrapolated back there and it was offensive. Further, I would not do something like that to you. I take the raising of my children and their views of the world in which they are growing up, very fvcking seriously.

Refrain from posting in these such threads. You don't have children, you don't know. This kind of sh*t will keep yo0u off the Sharpest Poster list for decades because you don't think before you post.

Get off your high fucking horse. Like I really give a shit if I get some fake award from a loud mouth on a fucking message board. I've met your kids, remember Cap? They are great kids and I'm not, nor have I ever, questioned your parenting skills. I'm talking from experience I have had. I have worked with kids in a day care setting, coaching little league, coaching middle school, coaching high school, in an after school program, in an in school program, etc... all I was saying is that no matter how hard a parent tries to be unbiased with their kids, it doesn't fully happen. It can't fully happen, which is completely understandable. I won't be able to keep my views completely out of the way of my kids making their own choices no matter how hard I try. It's human nature.


You wouldn't every say something that I find offensive or say shit about me that you don't know is true? Look at every fucking thing you've ever fucking posted about me. You do nothing except put me down in every fucking way every chance you get. I don't care how nice your and your brother are in person, and again I've met you remember Cap, being nice in person doesn't make it okay to be an ass on internet just because it is your "internet persona".



You think because I don't have kids I know nothing about raising them, go ahead and think that, I want you too. I want you to think I'm a shitty person and a shitty parent. I'll have every parent I've ever worked for give you a call with how shitty of a care giver/parental role I really am. Face it Cap, you know nothing about me except what I want you to know...which isn't always true. Your judgments of me are based on this and the time I was with you at The Other Place, during which time I didn't say more than 15 sentences and they were mostly all about what Sara's plans were for grad school and what my education goals were....which if you recall were something along the lines of becoming a program director for a day care or an after school style setting to help kids. I love kids more than you would ever guess, that I can promise you.


I can promise you this, as great of a parent that you are...and from the short time I was with you it was clear you are...you can't keep your biases away from your kids all the time. They WILL influence your kids, even if it is only a little, that is a fact. No matter how hard you play devils advocate they know where you stand on issues and what you think and their choices in beliefs will be influenced by it.



My questions were serious about taking your kids to a Catholic church though. Since he wants to be Roman Catholic does he get taken to a Roman Catholic church for a chance to see if that is truly what he wants. I hope so, because I don't want him to grow up wanting to be Catholic, then getting there and hating it later in life. Trust me, when it comes to that shit I have experience that says that is the wrong way to find religion/faith. I was forced to go to church every Sunday, I never had a chance to go to a church I wanted or a different faiths church and I wish I would have. I want him to have those experiences so he can make the best choice for him.

[Cap'n Cat]

Oh, STFU, you whinin' vagina windbag. Don't ever insinuate I'm lying about something I post here, that's all. Go cry on AGS.

[clenz]

Oh, STFU, you whinin' vagina windbag. Don't ever insinuate I'm lying about something I post here, that's all. Go cry on AGS.

Good edit to add the insults.

[clenz]

Also, do you actually care to disprove anything in my post?

[ASUG8]

No kids, but having been one I can say that to this day I only "suspect" that my Dad is a Democrat at age 74. We've had some political discussions, but he keeps his cards close to the vest and thinks that telling who you voted for is like telling someone what your salary is - it's a taboo subject in his mind. I lean slightly right, my brother more so, but not at the urging of my parents - they left it to us to figure out on our own.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

After reading this thread I realized I needed to create a stream of young conservative kids to inject into this vaginated society we call the USA, so I am going to knock up anything I can get into and then go to Muslim lengths to indoctrinate them into hard core right wingers. These kids will think Hitler was a liberal pussy like the Cpn.

If this board is any indication of how many castrated men we have in America then I am really scared for our future, I should have 7-9 kids on the way by Saturday.

Your welcome

[Grizalltheway]

I'm one of 9 kids and we run the spectrum from very liberal to very conservative. My parents never told us what to believe but focused instead on encouraging us to think and take responsibility for ourselves. I'm trying to do the same thing with my 3 kids. My sons' (8 & 10) grade school used the 2008 election as an opportunity to get kids excited about politics and to augment their civics lessons. The teachers were more liberal than conservative and we live in Illinois so Obama was the definite favorite among the teachers and students. They asked me who I was going to vote for and I told them Bob Barr and they asked me why I wasn't voting for Obama. We talked about it and even today they can remember the name of the candidate that I voted for instead of Obama. A lot of it was over their heads but we will continue to talk about it in the future and they will hopefully gain a better understanding and begin to develop a better sense of who they are.

I believe what I believe and I'm pretty sure I'm right but I can't say with absolute certainty that I am so I'm not going to push my kids into following blindly in my path. I want to help them find their own way.

Wow, you were a lot nicer about it than my parents were. When I was younger and asked them who they were voting for, they told me it was none of my goddamn business.