1- When the child rocks your favorite in public
You take good care not to wave the red (or blue or white) cloth in front of your friends on the opposite side and there, suddenly, all at once, in the middle of a friendly and neutral evening, the child starts chanting the name of your protege as in a demonstration, soft toy, in his perched voice, raising his slippers high.
Our advice: serve everyone else of wine to relax the atmosphere (smiling broadly).
2- When the child confuses you in the voting booth
We are delighted to share this moment with a citizen in learning. We jump in the hall of the school, holding his hand. “You’ll see, mom will explain everything to you, this is the electoral card, this is the voting booth, this, these are the ballots, I take the one I love, I throw them away others, that’s the ballot box and there you go, “mom has voted !!!” “. Except that by dint of babbling with a little stirring, we could well be the wrong ballot.
Our advice: take the child out of the voting booth for two seconds to check the contents of his envelope.
3- When the child puts a glue on you
You explained everything well: the candidates, the two rounds, the programs, the votes, the importance of reading, of respecting others. And all of a sudden, you’re a guest on a live political show. The child asks you between bites of cereal what happens if no one goes to vote next Sunday. Yes, that’s right, what happens if everyone abstains?
Our advice: recognize the intelligence of the question and make an appointment this evening for a political debrief at the snack. The day is yours.
4- When the child cries because the whole family is arguing
During the election period, the family at large goes through difficult times. The ideals and resentments of each have grown even further over the past five years. The youngest get tangled up with revolutionary slogans. While the old people invoke De Gaulle all the time. And this spectacle of a tribe belching over a roast potato dauphine can really frighten children.
Our tip: keep the children busy with a good cartoon in another room. And plan a joke to end the evening on a positive note.
5- When the child returns to the countryside at recess
If you talk a lot about politics at home, your child may well become an advocate for your ideas in the playground. And it is the parents of the other children who will come to alert you with a smile or not … “I explained to them that I had to vote M …” defends your tribune at the end of school.
Our advice: explain to the child that the campaign must not be invited into the school premises under penalty of tensions between parents of students.
6- When the child has a seizure at the time of the results
For the first round already, the atmosphere was electric in the living room. The child in the pajamas nervously munched on chips with you in front of the TV. Until he “cracks” before the official announcement of the results. Woe, you were dealing with a whim while the faces of the winners were displayed.
Our advice: for the second round, pretend nothing has happened and turn on the TV later. 10 minutes before max.
7- When the child points out our contradictions
“Mom, if you’re eco-friendly, why didn’t you put the banana peel in the compost?” “Dad, if you say you have to help people, why are you giving the man nothing in the subway?” “. No need to draw you a picture, the child has this logical mind capable of flushing out any trace of hypocrisy in you.
Our advice: correct his behavior and thank the child.
8- When the child is afraid of losing
He sees you stressed, preoccupied, interested, engaged for months for the same candidate. And all of a sudden, it’s the drama. Your favorite does not pass the first round. Or fail the second. The child then sometimes reacts strangely: he is truly disappointed. It is almost you, him, who lost.
Our advice: take the opportunity to re-explain that the important thing is not to win, but to vote for the one you support. And that there will be other opportunities to express yourself.
9- When the child takes a political slippage
He says out loud that women have nothing to complain about. You are bruised. You explain to him through A + B that he can’t say such a thing, “where did he hear that?” “And that he must” never repeat it “. This is a big blow, especially if you are a parent who is very committed to the issue of equality.
Our advice: laugh. He surely misunderstood or misinterpreted a word. Then set the record straight without getting angry. The child does not vote, let’s stay calm.
10- When the child takes the opportunity to claim anything
“I ask on behalf of all the children for candy tonight!” This is the smart kid’s ploy: he understood that “political campaign” was equal to “promise”. And so that by using learned words, he was going to vibrate the cord of cuteness.
Our advice: grant the child’s immunity during the in-between rounds. And give way. The child deserves that in this period of high electoral tension.