More than anything, I want parents to feel like they can turn to our media as a haven for information and an opinion on family life that, in large and small ways, may help them raise their kids and enjoy life in the city and beyond. Hence, I rarely talk politics, and when I do there’s a clear connection to family matters. But I get to slip a little bit of politics into the mix today under one of my usual banners: #shitmy12yearoldsonsays.
Adam and I we’re were having breakfast at the local diner on Saturday morning, after a week of not seeing each other all that much because of my work, and we must have been talking about all the crazy political news last week, when he said to me: “Why do young people like Bernie so much?”
There was no inflection here that I’m not accounting for. He asked in genuine interest.
I paused. And started to say something and paused again. And again. I was struggling because, for my 12-year-old son especially, I want to give as fair and informed an answer as possible.
I struggled. He waited. Until he had enough of waiting.
“Just say it,” Adam suggested.
Wow! Permission to speak my mind. Permission to engage maturely and not pull punches, or at least not as much as I might have.
For me, this was morning’s breakthrough moment, not the political analysis.
I don’t really need to share that part with you, but I will.
What I said was something like this: “Young people often look at the world with fresh perspectives and question things they don’t like about it. Which is good. Older people, with more experience, might look at the same issue and think it might not seem be as bad as it looks on the surface; or that maybe the proposed solutions aren’t as helpful as one might think.”
I’ll let you read between the lines as you will.
He moved back to his omelet.
Eric Messinger is the editor of New York Family. He can be reached at [email protected]
