The mass hysteria sweeping the country over the potential for Brett Kavanaugh to be elevated to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court offers parents a unique teachable moment with their children.
Most Americans have their wits about them, and it is those with a political agenda, or a social agenda who have lost theirs. This is America at its shameful worst. The entire world is watching and listening to us make total fools of ourselves. America, the shining place on the hill, is groveling in the ditch of political gamesmanship, ignorance of right and wrong, unethical behaviors, and the politics of destruction of good people.
What do our children learn and what do we as parents want them to learn? Do we want the next generations to learn to win at all costs? To destroy and vilify good people to get their way?
Is it OK for them to find someone to lie and say Johnny steals things so that he won’t be elected class president? Is it OK for a girl to spread vicious lies about another girl so that girl won’t be Prom Queen, or cheerleader?
Will it be fine if a child claims abuse at the hands of his soccer coach because he doesn’t like him, or the coaches’ kid is a better player?
What are we teaching here?
Our politicians, media, and those who have judged as the democrats have done despite zero evidence of anything but a good and level judge and a good and loving family man, are giving the worst of life examples to upcoming generations.
Parents can take this moment to talk with their children, young or older, to discuss how this behavior is wrong. It’s a great time to explain the difference between an accusation and evidence. Explain how the fear of a conservative Judge has made some people so fearful of that idea that they will go to any length to stop it. Explain the difference between sincerity, insincerity and credibility.
To your daughters, teach them not about #Metoo, but about how not to put themselves in situations that could put them in jeopardy, what types of people to hang with and what types to avoid, what type of places to go and not to go. Explain what to do if they find themselves in a situation that becomes uncomfortable or threatening. Girls can scream, they can fight, they can run, they can say no, and teach them how to do all of those things. If an assault does happen, and they do, teach them to tell, immediately. Teach them that there is no shame for them and that you as their parent will be there for them always. Teach them to feel safe in telling. Teach them to respect themselves and respect others, including boys. Teach them to be truthful.
To your sons, teach them to be respectful of girls from the time they are young. Show them how easily a vindictive person can damage their life. They unfortunately must be made aware of the peril they can face from a false accusation. Boys and men must watch who they are with and how they behave, and steer clear of women and girls with issues that feel uncomfortable for them. Boys need to be taught what is proper in today’s litigious world, it is far different than the generations before them. Teach them that what they say and do in their young years will be examined in a thousand ways should they ever seek a career that touches politics or law or public service. Teach them to be fair to others so that perhaps the next generation will not carry the greed and animosity of this generation. Teach them to be truthful.
Teach all children to do unto others as you would like others to do unto you. This is a time in life to condemn the bad behavior being witnessed by all Americans and indeed the world. We can do better, and better starts at home. The schools exacerbate the bad behavior, especially high schools and colleges. Learning how to be a good adult comes from home, from communication, conversations and from good examples.
Americans should be the last people on earth to display the animus, the hypocrisy, the dishonesty and the utter disregard for a good person’s life, family and career as is being shown with Judge Kavanaugh. A teachable moment is at hand, to re-set the path of doing the right thing, before we as a country fall further into the abyss being created by the hysteria and lack of ethics dominating our lives these past weeks.
This a moment when teaching matters. It’s a time unprecedented in history to teach how this circus is not the way to handle things, and all of the reasons why. We have a responsibility as parents to raise up the next generations to be better, smarter, fairer, wiser and this fiasco offers ample opportunity for our youth to learn why this was wrong, how it as wrong and how to do their best to do better than this.
America, This is a Teachable Moment!
(Photo: Camille Fine, USA TODAY)