Toeing the Party Line, Not

Like everyone else, my mind is on our new President-elect and the extraordinary grassroots and voting efforts that resulted in his victory during these challenging times. But I 'm also thinking about our children and how they grow into responsible, active citizens and voters.

In the days surrounding this monumental election, New Moon girls have been learning about voting through our “Mock Election,” where girls voted for a presidential candidate and learned more about important issues facing our country today.


At same time, in discussions with our Girls Editorial Board and girl writers, we’ve observed that the vast majority of our girls hold the political beliefs of their parents. Lior wrote about this for New Moon in Under the Influence.

So where does this leave us as parents? What do we need to teach our children about voting and the election process if our kids are just going to vote like us anyway? Over at Struggling Teens , Rose Mulligan writes that parents must help their children understand politicians in terms of character and achievement, rather than simply toeing the party line. How do you do this with your children during the campaign season and beyond? I'd love to hear about it.


In our Mock Election, we’ve been impressed by how much New Moon girls know about the individual candidates and their stances on issues in this election. And as we move forward, let's remember to keep teaching our girls how important it is to elect our politicians based on knowledge of their viewpoints and goals.