DU Parents: what would you do if your kid was Republican?

[Iniquitous Bunny]

Now that is something to really fear! :scared:

For me, I'd love my kid still, but I'd think, "What did I do wrong?"

[MissMillie]

1. Don't they have conversion camps for that?

please say yes!

[Midlodemocrat]

2. Lock him/her up in the nearest psych ward and have

them play subliminal messages from * in his/her sleep. That should do it. No one should be forced to listen to that moran speak.

[Arugula Latte]

3. I don't think there is any way in hell that would happen.

My kids are firmly liberal at a young age. However, if they went to the wingnut side, I'd still love them and hope they'd come around eventually.

[Iniquitous Bunny]

6. That's how mine are too!

Thankfully!!! :hi:

[Arugula Latte]

13. Yeah -- here's to liberal, compassionate, inquisitive kids!

:toast:

[magpie]

4. Intervention n/t

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. Send 'em back

Obviously ain't mine. Mix-up at the hospital.

[Magrittes Pipe]

7. Wouldn't be surprised.

:cry:

[Samurai_Writer]

8. My son is a conservative

Although he's mostly non-political, he has extremely conservative views. He's 24, and I'm hoping that it's just a phase. We just don't talk about politics.

[LeftyMom]

9. Hope he'd get over it?

I know more than one good liberal who went through a greedy republican asshole phase.

I can't really see my kid voting repub though.

[beyurslf]

10. Tell them they changed the law to 30 before you can vote.

And then tell them I heard it on Fox news. They'd believe anything Fox says.

[xmas74]

11. Have a nervous breakdown.

[RDU Socialist]

12. be happy he or she was taking an active interest in politics

ignorance is worse than conservatism, and if their following of current events lead them to become republicans so be it. children aren't clones, and shouldn't be treated as such.

[Iniquitous Bunny]

15. That would depend.

I have a theory that there are three types of Republicans:

1. Drank the Kool-Aid of the mass media and perhaps don't do much in the way of reading on a multi-faceted level with little in the way of a broad-based educational background.

2. Single issue voters. They may know the Democratic Party is better for their interests, but for whatever reason, they truly believe in their one particular issue.

3. People who are greedy at all costs.


If my child were either #1 or #3, I would feel as though I wasn't doing my job to teach them values or to provide them with enough education to really analyze the bigger picture. The second one is tougher because it's based on an individual interpretation, which though I may disagree upon, I can respect a party affiliation more based upon what is at least perceived to be an ethical stance as opposed to one based upon ignorance or greed.

[RDU Socialist]

30. i know plenty of republicans who believe in the old right

believe in tariffs over free trade, isolation over intervention, and simply less restrictions on business. nothing greedy or kool-aidy about it. Right now if someone ran for the Democratic Nomination with a Robert Alphonso Taft platform, they'd be overwhelmingly popular in many activist circles of the Democratic Party.

[Iniquitous Bunny]

32. I'm talking about the Republican Party of today.

It's been co-opted by neocons and the religious right and any die hard conservative (in the traditionalist sense like a Goldwater or even like Pat Buchanan) should realize that. Hell, given the racist leanings of the Democratic Party earlier last century, I might have been a Republican back then. Time marches on though.
A part of me would love to be a Green or a Democratic Socialist right now if not for trying to (albeit possibly naively at this point) work within a two-party system.

[Fleshdancer]

14. debate debate debate

it's a weird thought, isn't it?

[skygazer]

16. My oldest kid IS a republican

And "what did I do wrong?" is something I think about all the time.

Not only is she a Republican, she is a full-blown Bushbot, spouting all the talking points, watching Fox News, the whole nine yards.

I blame her fat, lazy, worthless, Kansas Repuke husband. It's easier on me than thinking she actually believes the crap she's spouting. But I'll tell you what, it makes it damn hard to have any kind of a relationship with her. :cry:

[Iniquitous Bunny]

17. Oh skygazer!

I'm sorry. :hug:

I don't want to make anyone sad here. I guess I just saw this thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4987487 and thought "Well, most of us would have a harder time with something else."

Ultimately, we do the best we can and they make their own decisions about these things. Here's another one for anyone else out there who needs one. :hug:

[skygazer]

19. Please don't feel bad but thanks for the hug

I really don't think it's the true feeling in her heart - she has always been a wonderfully compassionate soul, quick to sympathise with those who are down and out and sensitive to the suffering of others. I honestly believe it's a combination of influence from her husband (who I don't like at all - as if you couldn't tell) and rebellion against me. She resents me for divorcing her father, among other things, and never misses an opportunity to blindside me with some sort of cruel comment about her "terrible" childhood (almost always when we disagree about politics which is why I think the resentment thing comes into it).

Quite honestly, I think she's unhappy in her life and she will not admit it to me. So she lashes out and she spouts crap she knows will sadden me.

In the long run, I don't care what she thinks politically - I just want her to be happy and I don't think she really is. And I can say nothing because it will only make her cling harder to what is making her unhappy (the worthless husband).

[Maat]

18. You have my profound sympathies, Skygazer.

I worry about this with my nine-year-old.

Hey, one day your daughter will wake up and see the light!

[Sammy Pepys]

20. Wouldn't bother me

In terms of my children, there are things way more important than what their political affiliation happens to be.

[Ekirh]

21. On the opposite end of the spectrum . .

I wonder if my parents try to figure out all the time they ended up with a liberal son of a bitch like myself :D (Only Non Republican in the family . . although to be fair to my Uncle he's a non BushBot Republican . . and has actually said the Republicans deserve to lose the next few elections)

Back to the question though . . I'm only twenty three and can't imagine having children so I can't really answer that. I guess it would depend on how far to the right they go. If they are a moderate Republican I think worthwhile political chat could happen. If they were conservative or neo-con . . I wouldn't stop communicating with the child but I would make politics the very last thing discussed.

I'm glad that despite my political differences with my parents (And with the exception of 2004 where things were heated politcally between us) . . . I can have pretty good non-heated political discussion most of the time. There are a few issues we just never bring up and have agreed to disagree.

Edit: Silly me, I just realized you were only addressing D.U Parents. My apologies for taking part in a topic that wasn't directd at me ;).

[redwitch]

22. OK, now you've really got me worried!

Nah, raising two proper little lefties we is.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

23. cry!

[Pithlet]

24. Well, my parents were Republican (my father still is).

I know he must think about what went wrong with me. Of course I'd rather my children grow up to be progressive, but if either of them choose to affiliate with Republicans, I don't think it will affect our relationship.

[Zorra]

25. I'd know that I utterly failed as a parent. n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

26. I'd figure it was another phase

and hope he'd grow out of it quickly.

[name not needed]

27. I'd kill it in the most violent way possible.

[ContraBass Black]

28. With that thought in mind,

I don't think I want children.

[Kerrytravelers]

29. I hope we'd raise them in a home where we don't force our political

beliefs down their throats, but rather explain the them why we feel the way we do about issues. I always make my students question. When one spouts anything- left or right wing- I make them tell me why. If they say "so and so said," I don't even let them finish. I tell them that's lazy. If you have an opinion, you better know why you feel the way you do and back it up with facts.

Basically, making them understand that facts must inform our feelings and beliefs will make them liberal. Facts, thinking and conservatism are polar opposites of one another! :hippie:

[YankeyMCC]

31. Now that's scary

But maybe he'd grow out of it, there's plenty of other imature choices he'll undoubtably make.