In recent days, I found myself reflecting on a conversation with my mother-in-law after she dropped off my son following an afternoon spent at her home. “Did you catch wind of what our President said?” she inquired. I hadn’t, so she promptly pulled up a news clip on her phone. After watching, I shrugged it off. Wasn’t it just another instance of his outrageous comments? As my partner and I went through the evening routine—preparing dinner, discussing our day with our kids, tidying up, and getting them ready for bed—I didn’t dwell on the day’s headlines.
But once the house fell quiet and the boys were asleep, I opened my laptop to dive into the news. Slowly, a feeling began to rise within me that I hadn’t experienced in quite some time. Lying in bed, sleep eluded me as I pondered the President’s words. It wasn’t until the next morning that I could pinpoint my emotions: anger. This anger stemmed from a multitude of reasons, but primarily it was directed at my own complacency. I had become desensitized to the constant deluge of national and international turmoil, tweets, and soundbites that left me shocked, saddened, or fearful. The reality that the President of the United States—our representative on the global stage—had used such crude language to describe an entire continent filled with diverse individuals was just another story that I could brush aside, as if everything was perfectly normal.
Wait, normal? This isn’t normal. When did I accept that the extraordinary had become the ordinary? Days have passed since those alleged words were spoken, and the incident has only become more politicized. However, at its heart, this isn’t merely a political issue. It transcends partisanship and speaks to the essence of humanity and respect for others.
In past administrations, we have looked to our leaders to embody the moral compass of our nation—values we hold dear. Today, instead of seeking to embody these principles, we find ourselves attempting to justify troubling behavior and rhetoric. As parents, we should feel profoundly unsettled by this.
We must confront difficult questions: What harm does our complacency inflict? Are we truly comfortable raising our children in a nation where the President disparages foreign nations and their inhabitants? How can we instill American values in our children when our leader fails to uphold them? What actions are we willing to take as parents and as citizens to foster a kinder, safer society for all individuals, regardless of their origins, beliefs, or appearances?
I admit that I don’t possess all the answers. Parenting is already a challenging endeavor, and I am not in a position to dispense advice. What I do know is that we stand at a crossroads. The future belongs to our children—what we teach them will shape the nation and world they inherit. We can choose to ignore the divisive rhetoric that fuels a culture of fear, or we can rise against it, demonstrating through our words and actions that our values are grounded in liberty, justice, and tolerance, principles enshrined in our Constitution. It is our responsibility to exemplify these ideals for our children.
During my elementary school years, I often passed by a print of Norman Rockwell’s iconic Golden Rule hanging in the hallway. I always wondered why the figures looked so serious, given the simplicity of the words below. As I’ve grown older, I find myself reflecting on them more often, recognizing their profound significance: “DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.”
Imagine the impact if our President, or our politicians, truly embraced this principle. What kind of nation would we inhabit if we all committed to living by this rule? Yes, the past year has presented its challenges, but I still believe in hope. We Americans are inherently optimistic and yearn for a better future for ourselves and our children. We must acknowledge that the power to enact change lies within us. After all, our children are observing our every move.
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In summary, the recent comments from our President demand that we, as parents, reflect on the values we wish to instill in our children and the kind of world we want them to inherit.