How to raise politically engaged children, a thread:

In my convos with politically engaged, conscious, informed citizens, whenever I ask how do we raise kids to be enfranchised politically the answer is often: oh, we just model it.

Folks it’s more than this.

Children don’t live in a vacuum and then poof at 18 years old they become who we input their design to be.

But people act as if this is the case.

We have to scaffold their capacity all along the way, from infancy to adulthood.

We have to empower, enfranchise, and engage.

Empower: can’t raise just kids if we don’t treat them with justice first and always. Treat them like full human beings cuz they are. Value their ideas, emotions and spirituality.

Teach them? Yes. But also LEARN from them.

Enfranchise: too often we tell kids what they say and do matter but we don’t act as if it does.

Why do women feel like they can’t participate in political processes? Bc as girls we didn’t see representation and we weren’t treated as if our voice mattered.

ACT as if your kids voices matter. Make family decisions WITH them. Vote on behalf of them (since they can’t yet vote.) Give them access to investigate info, discern facts from propaganda. Amplify their opinions with our support and resources.

Engage: don’t prop up the myth of the exceptional kid. Malala had the support of her dad @ZiauddinY and others. Parkland teens had community support. Work WITH your kids in community advocacy and activism.

Together, we go farther.

Please don’t dismiss children like they’re so cute with their protest signs and “woke” little voices. No, they are doing important work learning and forming their opinions. Dismiss them now, and they will have to unlearn your condescension.

It’s the everyday practices and “habits of democracy” (re: @laurenduca in How To Be A Revolutionary) formed in your families that will help the political process be truly represented by the people.