What is the most important thing we can teach our kids in this age of ascendent Trumpism?
I believe it’s this: The truth still matters, and it always will.
Seems obvious, yes? Telling lies is wrong. Isn’t that what we were taught? Isn’t that a bedrock value we try to live by every day?
It’s not nearly as simple as that, of course. Some lies — that thing about money exchanged for baby teeth under pillows, for example — are part of our culture and therefore “acceptable.” Or at least they are acceptable until the kids figure out they’ve been deceived their entire lives and no longer trust anyone about anything.
Okay, I’m still pro-Tooth Fairy. But lying, in general, is wrong.
Except, now, with a sociopathic liar occupying the White House, the concept of “truth” has become even more subjective. Fellow Americans across the political spectrum can’t seem to agree on basic facts.
What was it that Trump mouthpiece said at the beginning? “Alternative facts.” That’s when I knew it was going be worse than we imagined.
I knew then that the most important thing we as parents can do for our children during this crazy time is to emphasize the enduring importance of the truth.
Yet, with so many Americans apparently willing to accept naked lies as the truth, what can we do? There are those who believe the lies, and there are those who embrace the lies because they refute facts that won’t support their world views.
There are still others who love the lies and the liars because they know they cause so much pain to their political and cultural adversaries.
Who are their adversaries? People who think it’s wrong to rip children from their parents at the border; people who think healthcare is a right; people who believe in being kind to others; people who don’t look like them; people who believe love is love; people who believe the president isn’t above the law.
People who believe that the truth still matters, and it always will.
I don’t believe it’s our responsibility to show the lie believers the error of their ways. They have every right to be wrong.
I do believe it’s our responsibility to help our kids prepare themselves to navigate a world tainted by Trumpism.
The trick is to help them embrace honesty as a guiding principle — while enabling them to recognize the truth when they see it.
Not easy, right? Not when life moves at the speed of the cable news cycle.
One thing we can do is speak out when we see a dishonest act or hear a lie spoken aloud. Recognizing falsehoods requires diligence and practice. Exercise that BS detector. It can get rusty if it’s neglected.
Kids need to know we see what’s going on in front of our eyes. They need to be able to trust not only that we’re truthful, but that we know a lie when we see it — and we are opposed to lies, in general.
Here’s the truth: We don’t know what the next day will bring, let alone the year we have ahead before Election Day 2020. That’s okay, too: Part of being honest is admitting we don’t know the full truth yet.
But that part of honesty can morph into a lazy form of dishonesty if we stop seeking the truth. So …
Keep asking questions.
Keep looking for the truth behind the lies.
Don’t accept a fundamentally dishonest world view simply because it’s convenient to go along with it.
This is the most important thing we can do for our kids’ future. Let’s make sure that truth is not a casualty of this fractured age.
CG
