Why take your child with you to vote?

read •

Family Life How To Raise a Child of Character

"People often say, with pride, 'I’m not interested in politics.' They might as well say, 'I’m not interested in my standard of living, my health, my job, my rights, my freedoms, my future or any future. If we mean to keep control over our world and lives, we must be interested in politics." - novelist and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn

2022 is not a Presidential election year in the United States, but the election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 is a very important election. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. If you want to continue to live in a democracy, imperfect as it may be, you need to vote.

Yes, there may be a line. But that's part of the lesson -- Voting is such a privilege that we're willing to endure a little discomfort to do it. People all over the world have fought and sometimes died for the right to vote. Bring an umbrella, snacks, and some books about voting to read as you wait. (There are links to several good ones below.)

There are so many reasons to bring your child with you to vote.

Kids learn that voting is an important part of being a good citizen from their parents.
Talking about why you're voting a certain way gives you a chance to talk about values.
Voting with your child gives you a chance to talk about the ordinary people who have fought for the right to vote.
Involving kids in voting teaches them a real-life lesson in democracy and governance -- including the challenges and the parts that still need to be improved.
Taking your child with you to vote helps show our country that families matter and have a powerful voice.

After you vote, take a photo outside and post it on social media #FamilyVote to inspire other parents.

Check here to find out where your polling place is: https://www.vote411.org/

Thanks to ParentsTogether for the fantastic video!

Parent Reviews

Karina

Liz McIntosh

Makchoon

Chantal Harrison

Andrei

Lisa Fernandez

Jennifer B

Dear Dr. Laura Markham! I am a mother of 2 boys - 16 and 7 years old. I am extremely grateful for all the emotional and relational education that you provide us and also for your incredible loving energy to support our evolution as parents, as human beings. I took your course 3 years ago. Although the challenges of the parent-child relationship change almost every year, your parenting principles are equally valuable and effective. It's hard to reprogram the emotional-behavioral pattern learned in my own childhood... so I find it very helpful to go back to your teachings to regain trust and patience as a parent every time new challenges trigger my anxiety. To have more clarity, to reset my energy. Thank you!!