How Parents Can Help Kids Deal With Trump Win

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Now that the election is over, how can parents help children deal with Trump winning?

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I watched people burst into tears after hearing that Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. It was pretty obvious that they were hoping for a Hillary Clinton win, including our daughter.

Her disappointment began when she found out that I went to the polls without her on election night. She was hoping to cast her pretend vote to take part in electing the first female president. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure that I was going to head to the polls at first. Why?

Well, this past year alone has been a media circus filled with a lot of accusations and scandals. Some say it should be no surprise, it’s become standard in the political world.

But, this race was taken to levels that completely turned me off from voting. Then I thought about why my family migrated to the United States and why we became citizens of the free world. I also thought about the lessons that I teach my children, including how important it is to vote.

So, I drove to the polls about an hour before they closed and casted my ballot. Then I stayed up for as long as I could to watch the media coverage and the countdown to the announcement of our new president elect. It didn’t take long to realize the outcome. The results were leaning toward Trump and people were already sending out tweets of upset.

The following morning some were shocked to hear the official results. Cameras zoomed in on people in tears, clearly Hillary Clinton supporters. The chants and protests of the outcome took center stage in what was already a political mess. Now parents are left grappling with how to explain this to their children, myself included.

My daughter was hoping to have a woman president as well as some of her friends at school. She said all the boys wanted Trump to win and most of the girls were in favor of Clinton. Needless to say, I understand there are a lot of upset parents and children out there. But, let’s be real. It’s not the end of the world!

Now that Donald Trump is president, people are reacting in ways that’s completely out of control and that worries me.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand their concern. Trump is a businessman. He has no political background. Many people believe he’s racist and disrespectful toward women. They certainly have no problem sounding off on social media expressing their outrage wondering how a “racist” got elected.

“We’re (mad) so we’re out here in the streets,” said demonstrator Omar Aqeel, a 27-year-old film producer who lives in Brooklyn.

But seriously; if Trump is in fact racist, I’m sure he’s not the first and he won’t be the last person in office to feel that way.

Regardless, does the outcome of the election warrant such bad behavior? It seems hypocritical to think the world is coming to an end because he won election, yet people have no issues protesting and burning images of President Elect Trump.

The Los Angeles Times reported that over 7,000 protested crowded city streets in Oakland. Protesters vandalized businesses and cars. They also threw rocks and bottles at police. But, seriously. Is all that really necessary?

How Parents Can Help Kids Deal With Trump Win

We should be focusing on moving forward and setting a good example for our kids. Let’s start by taking fear, violence and destruction out of the equation and lead by example.

There’s nothing we can do about the outcome of the election, but we do have control over our own actions and the lessons we teach our children.

Let’s support them, especially girls who were hoping to see a woman take over the oval office. This election split our family members three different ways. Some were hoping for a Hillary win, others supporting Trump, and some who boycotted the presidential election.

Even though we have different opinions, we share a common goal to listen and be empathetic toward our kids. It’s also important for them to see that we are optimistic and hopeful for our future. I refuse to paint a negative picture. What good will that do?

I won’t shy away from discussing issues like racism, sexism, and immigration. I want them to know that these are problems in society. But, I also feel it’s imperative to focus on having an open mind.

Whether you voted for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, it really doesn’t matter. What matters now is how we move forward, and we can start by being positive for our children. Start by telling them like The number of women of color in the U.S. Senate quadrupled on election night.

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