It was an interview I’d been wanting to do for a while now.
Politics was the focus of the discussion, a topic that too often comes with land mines when two opposing views are on display.
But there was a reason I asked this pair to freely share their thoughts. Despite their opposing views on the hot-button issues now dividing our country, neither is afraid to talk through those differences.
Sometimes they do so in the playroom at family events — in between games of hide-and-seek or spy mystery — and sometimes via social media, texting each other on iPads when screen time is allowed after school and between dinner and bedtime.
Jack is 11, Gemma is 10. And I’ve been intrigued by the close relationship between these two grandkids since they were toddlers, a bond that seems to have only grown more secure with age, even as they developed their own groups of friends and outside interests.
The cousins are growing up in homes that are close in proximity but miles apart in political ideology..
One household gets most of their TV news from Fox, the other from CBS.
And like many families who want to survive by avoiding those above-mentioned land mines, the grownups at our gatherings have learned to keep politics off the table.
One thing that’s become abundantly clear in the past decade: arguing anything rarely changes anyone’s political views. And even at its most benign it can lead to awkwardness and hard feelings.
Still, these two youngsters don’t shy away from it, whether the topic is past and present occupants of the White House or issues like immigration.
Kids are paying attention to the many issues that divide us. And frankly, the exchanges I see between these two give me hope for their future.
Unlike adult conversations, these two slide into the tougher conversation as if they are talking about differences between food preferences.
Which turns out to be the analogy Gemma used when we sat down to talk: Who cares if you like pizza or sushi, she asked. “It’s not going to change how I feel about Jack.”
There is of course an innocence to these exchanges. Neither child understands the complexities of politics. Nor do they know enough details at this age to hold viable debates.
And there’s no question they are repeating what they hear from their primary source of information and trust — their parents.
Then again, adults don’t always have all their facts together either when entering into fiery political exchanges. And too often grownups, while having more independence to choose who they listen to, can also end up echoing the news source that reinforces their existing beliefs.
Still, there’s something to be learned from these young conversations. They never raise their voices. They don’t interrupt. They ask questions that show they are curious rather than judgmental. And when hit with a compelling argument, they will even pause before responding – sometimes in agreement.
We all don’t have to think the same, including friends, they both tell me.
“And even if we have lots of differences,” Jack notes, “there’s no reason to be mean to each other.”
“If we disagree too much,” Gemma adds, “we just stop talking about it and go do something that brings us together.”
Sounds like a political playbook that makes sense at any age. Imagine that.
dcrosby@tribpub.com
