Urge Your Teens to Vote!
Elections are coming up very soon. With the many important and challenging issues facing us in the United States today-the war in Iraq, national security, immigration, and the list goes on and on-it is very important for every eligible citizen to vote. Voting is both our right and our responsibility.
You may feel that your influence over your teen ends at 18, when he or she legally becomes an adult, but this is not true. Your influence may lessen somewhat when your teenager goes away to college or goes out into the world to get a job, but 18- and 19-year-olds who have had good relationships with their parents will still listen to them and be influenced by what they have to say. Urge your teen to exercise their right to vote.
Talk with your teenager about the important issues facing all of us today. Have an open discussion with him/her about how you feel about the issues and about how the candidates for various offices stand on those issues. This can actually be a great way for you to get to know your now-adult teen better and help build a more adult relationship between the two of you.
Go to a political rally or a debate with your teenager. It could be a great outing (it’s not Disney World or a rock concert, but it can really be a good experience for both of you), if you combine it with lunch or dinner, or maybe just a sit-down over a cup of coffee and discussing what you heard.
If you have younger teens who are approaching voting age (16 or 17), talk with them about current events and issues. Tell them that you feel it is really important for every citizen to vote and why. Encourage them to keep up with news, and with the candidates and their policies, and talk with them about registering to vote as soon as they are eligible.
The United States Advocates for Youth Foundation has a great website directed at young voters. They have news and information on candidates and issues in indiviudal states, as well as national candidates and issues. They also have debates which young voters can join in. Pass on the web address to your teens. It is important that teens consider voting and being politically active as big a milestone in their lives as getting their driver’s license. They can have a huge role in shaping the future of this country, and it is important that we, as parents, encourage them to do so.
teen voters, voters, voting, teens, teenagers, United States Advocates for Youth Foundation, USAY, elections
October 23rd, 2006 at 1:55 pm
You hit on very interesting topics with almost every entry. Me likes. =)
It is obvious from the voter turnout that not many/enough people feel the way you do about urging others to vote.
Is it ironic that I was the one who urged my Mom to vote during the last presidential election? =)
Just be sure to remember that getting your kids into current events is great, but aiding them in forming a stance on the topics isn’t. They need to have their own opinions, even if their parents don’t share them.
October 23rd, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Thanks for stopping in, David. You make a very good point. Parents should be careful that their teens don’t just mirror their parents views on a subject. A parent should remind his/her teenager that their opinions should be their own, AND that those opinions will be respected.