Transform election fatigue into family learning

Hi Friends,

Unusual question…

What’s the COOLEST thing about the U.S. election cycle?

Not what drives you nuts, because that’s a long list that I hear constantly.

But what’s the coolest thing about it?

• Is it that a town can choose to elect a dog mayor? (link)

• Is it that millions of people come together to make a collective decision in a really long, kind of messy brainstorming session?

• Is it the way kids start asking the hardest questions at the dinner table, like "Why can't everyone just take turns being president?"

• Is it those "I Voted" stickers that turn social media into a celebration of civic duty?

• Is it that Washington, Hamilton, and a number of other folks lobbied for this whole peaceful power transfer thing? (And now we have a musical about it!)

• Or something else entirely?

I ask you to remember what’s cool about elections because most, if not all of us, are feeling the fatigue.

But our kids don’t know that.

While we’re trying to hide the ads and recycle the flyers, they’re absorbing all sorts of information, even on the playground. And they probably have questions and need guidance.

Which is why Dr. Marcie and I made a video today on how to talk with kids about elections in a non-partisan way.

We share our tried-and-true 5-step framework for critical conversations, specifically applied to election season. Start by processing your own political feelings (breathe!), then get curious about what your kids already know and how they're handling election season. Once you understand where they're at, you can create teaching moments through daily life - like talking about ads or voting together - while keeping tabs on how they're processing it all through regular check-ins.

Watch the video on LinkedIn, YouTube, or Substack.

Because here's the thing: Elections aren't just about voting. They're about teaching our kids how democracy works, how to think critically about different viewpoints, and how to be engaged citizens. Even when we're tired of it all.

If you haven’t already, please remember to vote. And chat about it with your kids!

Blue skies,
Carla