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presidential election, abortion, parenting

What Would You Do if Someone Discussed Abortion with Your 5-year-old?

by Deborah Cruz

presidential election, abortion, parenting

I’ve got a presidential election hangover from all the excitement, anxiety and combustible tension of last night, did I mention lack of sleep? Holy cow, the baggage under my eyes has carry ons. It’s going to be hard to go presidential election cold turkey but I’ll be glad to put the vitriolic diatribes behind me; listening to them not spewing them. I never spew.

To my dismay, some of my favorite people became very small during this presidential election; I was particularly appalled by what my children heard about the candidates at school.

My 5-year-old informed me at pick-up (again yesterday) that she was not voting for Obama because so-and-so told her that he kills babies. That’s when this all became very personal. Let me explain, voting is always personal but I think there is enough room in this world for all of us to have our educated and informed opinions and to make our choices in a presidential election. But when you try to brainwash my 5-year-old, you have usurped some of my parenting power and infringed upon my rights to raise my child with an open mind. Then, I am pissed.

Who speaks in front of their 5-year-old about such things as abortion? My daughters know that babies die. They learned that the hard way when we miscarried this past May. I don’t need my 5-year-old somehow forming the opinion that the President is responsible for our loss. She hears “kills babies” and her only point of reference is her brother/sister that died.

All of that aside, what kind of monster repeats vitriolic tirades about mature topics in front of their own children? Never mind what they are exposing my child to without my permission, do they not even care that their own child is learning?

My first instinct was to point out all of the issues that I had with the Republican party; but that would have only compounded an already bad situation and it would not have been any better than what so-and-so’s parents had done. Instead, I explained that no, in fact, President Obama doesn’t kill babies. He does support women’s rights and one of those rights is the right to choose; like the right to choose whom to vote for. I did not explain any further because it is a concept beyond their scope of reasoning.

I also explained that we do not repeat gossip that we hear at school and that if she ever has questions about anything she hears at school to please come to me for an explanation before basing her decision on half-truths. She seemed to understand that. God, these girls are smart.

There are a lot of adults who forget this concept during a presidential election.

I also explained that both candidates are capable men who would not have been nominated had they not been qualified for the position. We the people are presented with choices and we vote for who we feel is best qualified to represent us. I told them that I never wanted to hear either of them bad mouthing candidates but they are free to have their own opinions.I gave her a hug.

Then, I sent a carefully worded email to our kindergarten teacher, informing her of what my daughter had repeated. I made it very clear that I am appalled that such behavior is tolerated and that I don’t appreciate my daughters learning these concepts at school. It may be worth noting that my children go to a private Catholic school BUT that still does not give them the right to teach 5 year olds about abortion. These topics fall under the parenting umbrella. I also, respectfully, asked her to more closely monitor what these little people are repeating in the classroom. Now, I wait for the fallout. It’s hard to go against the grain, but it’s not hard to do what’s right where my children are concerned. It makes me sick that while I was trying to keep the government out of my daughter’s uterus, other people’s lies were being forced into her head. This situation is about so much more than just a presidential election, it’s about thoughtfully parenting my children.

What would you have done if this happened to you during the presidential election?

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5 comments

The Informal Matriarch 2012/11/07 - 1:40 pm

UGHHH. Well, the thing is, uber crazy religious people are like this. Take my upbringing for example. At a very early age I was telling people that gay people needed to be strung up by their toenails because that’s what my dad always told me. Plus I was crazily trying to convert my own friends to Christianity and i was rather successful at brainwashing them like I was.

I thought it was an adult that said that to your daughter.

It’s so hard when kids are like sponges, they hear things from their parents…even when their parents IQ’s are lower than that of peanutbutter.

I’m sorry this happened but I guess it’s a good opportunity to start having those conversations with your daughter in an age appropriate way…ya know?

PS…I love gay people and I no longer try to brainwash people…consider my brain…unwashed…filthy even.

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Cindi 2012/11/08 - 9:12 am

Kind of confused … the teacher was “so and so” who made the comment? Or was it another child?

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Deborah Cruz 2012/11/08 - 10:11 am

IT was another child. I am not mad at the teacher (only wish that she would be paying more attention to what is being said by 5 year olds) and I am not mad at the children, as they are only repeating what they have heard said. I am however livid that people speak about these topics in front of small children and then their child repeats it in front of my child because that parent was careless.

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Donna Spears 2012/11/08 - 11:53 pm

I will not talking about it when my five year old kid listen it. They still don’t know anything and they have not in the right age to understand like this.

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Kristen Daukas 2012/11/11 - 6:17 pm

I would have had a coronary. I’m amazed that people show NO regard for their kids or any others. We had an incident last year at camp when the counselor showed my girls a rather extreme documentary on animals and they came home upset and sweating never to eat meat again. I was HOT and immediately was on the phone with the camp director.

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