To wonder to what extent you impose your views on your kids...if at all?

[malificent7]

Or perhaps I should rephrase this as 'to what extent do your kids share your views?

Some people's quite young children are already certain they support mum and dad's political party of choice. I heard someone's under 10 say they weren't a royalist as mum wasn't.
The same goes for football teams... Support for a club often runs in families.

Also vegetarians....do your kids also support vegetarianism or make up their own minds?

On the flip side I know a staunch vegan who is 8 whereas mum and dad are not.

As much as i try to influence dd such as supporting Liverpool or a political party she is determined to do the opposite or find her own way...this is fine with me as I admire her strength of character although I definately challenged any anti gay sentiment.

Religion is another one.

I'm not wanting to start a bitch fight here but to what extent do we or should we influence our kid's views?

[bumbleymummy]

Most people will have their children eat meat or not eat meat according to their views.

Most people will raise their children in their own religion.

I’d say everyone imposes their views on their children in one way or another.

[Audree]

Yes I impose my values on my kids; whoever thinks they’re not is lying to themselves.
I think however that around 14 yo kids start to question them and they either end up adopting our views or turn 180 degrees against them.
This is how it should be; they need to reflect on these values before they make them theirs.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

DS is exposed to a lot of different beliefs. Therefore he has a lot of questions, many more than I could answer on my own. So it appeals to my laziness for other people to answer them for him.

We talk about stuff. I tell him what I believe. He has what he believes and that's ok too. I teach him that it is possible for people to believe different things and still love each other and respect each other and appreciate the other's contribution. I ask him to look at the evidence. And then question it.

It's challenging to say the least!

[Babdoc]

I'm a Christian, my DD is a Buddhist, I'm a meat eater, she's a vegetarian, I'm a Conservative, she's a Communist. The only thing we have in common is feminism. I raised my kids to think for themselves and it seems to have worked rather too well! But I hope they find their way back to a loving communion with God when they're older. I was an atheist until I was 35, so I still hope and pray for them.

[Echobelly]

DS is 6 and still basically a Minion, so he doesn't really have opinions on anything yet, though perhaps contrary to our feminism he still thinks girls are yucky and when his sister (9) talks about there being not enough female characters on kids TV and stuff like that, he moans that it's 'not fair' to have more girls. Funny, cos there are men 30 years older than him who basically say that when women ask for more than the tiny bit of whatever they have!

DD is very feminist, so feminist it's getting slightly tiring because she is getting very aware of the imbalance everywhere and wants to put the world to rights! I hope this suggests she has her late great aunt's crusading zeal (my aunt was a journalist who exposed corruption and fraud in the finance world) and we're pleased about it.

We are practicing Jews and the kids go to a Jewish school, but we practice Judaism, like many, much more as a cultural tradition than a 'faith', so we're not expecting them to 'believe' anything, DD decided there was no such thing as God a few years ago and we don't disagree!

[peoplearemean]

My daughter attends a C of E school (because all the schools by me are C of E there is no choice!) last year she was coming home very brainwashed and spouting a lot of bible / Jesus / God points of view from school. I gently pointed out each time "not everyone thinks that. Daddy doesn't think that but Grandma does you can think what you want" etc and she used to get quite angry about it. All of a sudden has turned 180 and now says she doesn't believe! Maybe I have influenced it who knows?!

[Onlyoldontheoutside]

My dd14,gets annoyed at other kids at school,she says that discussions start about religion ,politics and they profess a belief but don't seem to know any good arguments for or against.
She say that is because I don't tell her what to think but give her all the information I have and we look up the things I don't.
I am an omnivore she is vegetarian,she is undecided politically but doesn't support the 2major parties and I think would vote Green if we had a candidate.She has watched the news enough to get tactical voting.I have indoctrinated into her that she must vote when she's old enough.She thinks 16 yr olds should be aloud to vote as things affect their future even though I pointed out that her school friends would vote what their family voted but she thinks they wouldn't bother voting.
She thinks she is not influenced by her dad or me,she obviously is but I hope we give her the room to find out for herself.
I don't play a lot of music and has slightly shocked me by having classical music playing when she does homework!

[Lethaldrizzle]

Little mix have some right fun singalong tunes. Surely you want your children to have broad tastes, not just your tastes. It can't all be 'serious' music. There is room for contemporary pop music in everyone's record collection or down loads

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

jamie I forgot about music! I must confess I do heavily influence DS6 musical taste and I thought I was doing a good job until he sheepishly admitted he likes Little Mix

[Jamiefraserskilt]

My eldest likes the same music as his dad (all the latest bollocks) but as I did most of his early years care, he was subjected to the way of the Skynyrd, the art of the d.i.s.c.o and a fair dose of AC\DC. Although he moans for me to turn it off the car radio, I caught him singing and shimmying to "Ring my bell" by Anita Ward the other day so I guess early years training in 70's sounds rubbed off a bit. Everything else is researched obsessively until views and opinions on both sides are known, then he makes up his own mind.

[Metoodear]

I not a lefty think it’s horse shit and a cautious feminist also am a royalist


I think the world owes you nothing helping your self and not expecting hand outs

He always listened to talk radio before bed so he has some strong opinions and we agree on some issues and not on others



So try and Instill this is my kids

[Metoodear]

My mil clearly didn’t she is hardcore racist I am black and sil is Asian 😂

[UrgentScurryfunge]

Having taught RE, I'm well versed in "some people believe... and some people believe...." At present (7) he's quite into Christianity. We go to church most months and he finds religion interesting at school. I talk about other religions too. He did build a Duplo Ka'baa surrounded by pilgrims once He's quite a critical, analytical thinker by nature so he's got plenty of food for thought to make up his own mind as he develops.

We are omnivores, but things like what meat is is no secret. DH is familiar with the meat industry and meat production has been discussed openly.

I'm a floating voter and my defaults are fairly central, but the details will depend on the context of the actual vote. He's been talked through the process of voting. Most recently the clerks added in details about cross checking their lists etc
He then came home and announced to DH that I voted for the top box and DH knew who I voted for!

He watches things like Newsround so forms opinions on that. He strongly believes in greater regulation of US gun laws. I have talked to him about the historical context of why they have different attitudes and rules to the UK.

I'd be happy if he had a similar world view to me... but only if it was critically thought out with consideration of other ideas
I don't want him to regurgitate my view because that's what you do. Fortnunately there has been a local political change against the inept, corrupt wankbadgers in charge of our council over recent years, and it was truely depressing watching them get back in purely because they represented a particular party that generations in that area have always voted for.

The morning when the Leave vote was announced was interesting... Lots of regurgitating of "my dad says" (insert uninformed predictable cliché)

[VioletCharlotte]

I'm pretty left wing/ feminist/ vegetarian. I do try and impose my views on my two teen DS (because I'm right, obviously!)

Joking aside, I encourage them to discuss their views and will challenge them, but ultimately it's up to them to make up their own minds. My main objective is to get them to think critically and be open to other people's viewpoints.

[ChevalierTialys]

My partner "accuses" me of turning my nephew into a feminist. I make a point of thanking him for the compliment every time he mentions it.

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

I’m trying believe me! He’s at an age where being like his friends is important to him so it’s just finding the balance between allowing that without him being influenced too much.

[marchin1984]

teach the six year old to be critical. How do you know X,Y, Z?

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

This is something I’m struggling to navigate with my six year old DS at the moment. I’m atheist and have pretty negative opinions about religion, DP agnostic but his wider family are catholic (non practising). Ds is in a class this year with a significant number of children who’s parents are heavily involved in our local international church, and he is accepting the ‘facts’ he hears from them at face value.

The church has an interesting reputation in the community and has one scandal after another. One pastor left after it was discovered that his holidays were being paid for from church funds, they are known to discourage friendships outside of the church and the leaders houses are maintained and looked after by the congregation who are, largely, young single mums without much education who are brought in on outreach programmes. Frankly I don’t want DS anywhere near it or hearing their views, but neither will I tell him who he can play with.

DP thinks we should leave him to make his own mind up as he gets older but I don’t feel like it is his own mind with this amount of influence from so many of his peers. Sorry for the epic post, this is something that’s been troubling me for a few months.

[noctu]

@Mousefunky please show me your Corbyn tshirt! I may need to purchase one

[Racecardriver]

We have no political allegiance but communism and fascism are evil is a non negotiable. My husband is religious. I am not. Children are being exposed to a range of religions and told to make up their own minds. Husband vegetarian. Me not but not much of a meat eater. Children are being fed meat until they are Old enough to cook their own meals. Oh and safe driving is also being drilled into them early but that is it. We want safe drivers who do no support genocides, the rest is up to them.

[AnotherRanger]

I'm happy for DS to form his own views, it's part of growing up.
I'm an athiest but DS(7) believes in God which is fine as so did I at that age, I'd take him to church if he wanted but he's not fussed about that but likes to pray.
I'm a left wing Jeremy Corbyn fan which DS has also taken on but I'm certain he'll form his own views when he's a teenager. I wouldn't force a certain view but would encourage critical thinking when it comes to political issues.
I'm vegetarian, DS isn't...it's just food and preferences really.
I'd rather have a free thinking kid than just a carbon copy of myself however one thing is non-negotiable and I very much used my indoctrination skills to enforce....football team!

[thecatsthecats]

My mum talked about sending me away to boarding school because my sister believed in God and my atheist views (not really discussed - I just didn't go to church with her) were upsetting her. (sidebar: my sister is now one of those atheists who hates religion virulently, I am more laissez faire).

She also called me a 'monster' for having different views about animal rights protestors, and said (exaggerating, I imagine, but it didn't stop her saying it) that if I didn't agree with their views on the Iraq war they'd kick me out. I was 14, and in fact agreed that the war was immoral, but I also had questions and wanted answers to help me understand.

So, um, no, I don't plan to impose that much on my own kids.

[WyfOfBathe]

If you ask him his opinion on anything he says "we" and "don't we mum" and constantly looks to her when responding as though he's making sure he's saying the correct thing. I find it a bad sad if I'm honest.....

What's more sad is when they don't grow out of it as they get towards being adults. As a teacher, I've heard sixth formers say things like "my dad says the Tories are the best, so that's who I'm going to vote for" or "in my family, we vote remain". I stay out of students' political discussions, but it is hard not to say "your vote is not your dad's vote".

[Stompythedinosaur]

With things like religion and vegetarianism we do a lot of discussing "Some people believe that... Mum believes that... Dad believes that...".

We have some things that we insist on like "It our family we share/don't hit etc." but they are quite universal things.

[kitkatsky]

I've always tried to explain to DD how important it is to vote and how you decide who to vote for. I also talk too her about the news. I don't think I try hard to get her to agree with me but she has self declared that Trump is a stupid orange idiot and I just admit that I concur!