As I get older, I appreciate my parents more and more.
My parents were absolutely brilliant about letting us kids form our own opinions.
Its weird when I think about it, because I don't remember my parents ever telling me what party they favored. I knew that my mother came from "democratic" upbringing, because her father was a precinct captain for the Daley administration. I also knew that she didn't like Daley. At all.
My dad was even more mysterious about his political affiliation. I strongly believe that he was a conservative based on the arguments he would have with friends... but I never remember him stating who he supported.
My parents made it clear to us at an early age that they wanted us to think for ourselves. They didn't try to push us kids into any political party, which was brilliant.
Again, I only realized this as I get older, because I talk to people who had parents who tried to force their political points of view on them.
I love them and miss them all the more as I write this. Because now I understand that not all parents give their kid that much leeway.
Which leads me to this
little chunk of indoctrination:
The slime who wrote this book is Jeremy Zilber, who apparently doesn't trust kids to think for themselves. He must believe in early indoctrination. He also wrote "Why mommy is a Democrat" and "Why daddy is a Democrat".
(I wonder if any part of that book contains the lines "Because mommy and daddy want free shit from the government, and they don't think that they'll ever have to pay for it.)
This is my favorite part of the indoctrination. Its where you teach kids to mistrust old people:
It says "now some mamas voted for a man named John, some mamas voted for a mastedon."
Because, you know, its really important for kids to understand at an early age that old people just don't understand, and have never been young before. And stuff.
Its sad to me that some people will buy this book. Its even sadder to think that there are parents out there that won't trust their kids to learn from their examples.
I'm not a Republican because my dad told me to be one.
I'm a Republican because I learned what it was to be a man of substance from him. I saw him work hard towards nobility and retain a love for the founding fathers. I learned patriotism from him. Not the flag waving, but a respect for liberty and democracy, which he practiced by not forcing his beliefs on me.
My father also taught me, by example, what it means to be an independent thinker.
My mother taught me the compassion of actually volunteering, and not expecting other people to do stuff for you. She taught me that I'm responsible for my actions. That I shouldn't pass the buck.
My parents would have never bought me that book.