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Brexit
Original poster

Are your children in or out?

64 replies

3littlebadgers · 22/06/2016 22:45

Sorry if this has already been done, but our children are going to have to live with the consequences of however we vote tomorrow for many years to come.
If they did have a say, how would yours vote, and what are their ages?
Ds1 (10) stay
Ds2 (9) he does 't mind as long as it isn't Trump!
Dd1 (6) stay

OP posts:
teacherwith2kids · 23/06/2016 09:43

DS (15): Remain. Part of the campaign team for that side in the school referendum. Has an impressively astute grasp of the issues, and talks about it in the context of European history in a way that I haven't heard any adult commentator doing.

DD (13) Remain. Doesn't understand what the fuss is about, because for her the answer is so obvious.

Mistigri · 23/06/2016 09:44

As bilingual (trilingual in DD's case) european citizens who will study and work in Europe, my teenagers actually cannot comprehend why anyone would vote leave.

teacherwith2kids · 23/06/2016 09:45

[Getting DS not to listen to the radio overnight tonight will be hard. We had to confiscate anything with communication capability from his room to get him to sleep on the night of the General Election]

teacherwith2kids · 23/06/2016 09:46

Misti, that's DD - not the bilingual bit, but the complete failure to comprehend why anyone would vote leave.

ThomasRichard · 23/06/2016 09:49

DD (3) is out as I dropped her on her head while out leafleting for in.

DS (6) is undecided. On the one hand, he was dragged out leafleting, but on the other hand he got to play Solar Surfer on my phone while DD and I did the actual work. So maybe in?

SuburbanRhonda · 23/06/2016 09:51

Good thing the under 18's can't vote really ;)

I'm not sure why anyone would think a child with an interest in and basic grasp of the issues should be any less entitled to vote than an adult.

dingit · 23/06/2016 09:55

Dd17 out, and furious she can't vote.
Ds 14 in ( as was whole school)
Dh in
Me out ( but considering abstaining)

Mistigri · 23/06/2016 09:55

I think it was a mistake not to extend the franchise to over 16s. A 16 year old is as capable of understanding the issues as a 60 year old, and there is far more at stake for younger voters.

I would be furious if I were 16 and were to wake up tomorrow to find that my right to work and study in Europe had been curtailed. (My teens are in the fortunate position of having a second nationality to rely on).

redhat · 23/06/2016 09:56

Mine are 11 and 9 and have been doing a lot on the referendum at school. We let them decide which way DH and I should vote (and promised to abide by their respective decisions) after a long family "debate" about the pros and cons of each argument. They really enjoyed it and it made them feel very grown up to know that we had promised to abide by what each of them chose. We did a postal vote and so they were even able to mark the cross on the paper and fold up the slip etc.

I'm hoping it has taught them something about democracy.

They are both firmly in though (as are we which was handy Wink). DS2 is actually quite anxious about it.

teacherwith2kids · 23/06/2016 09:58

I have to say that the teens I have discussed it with have at least as good a grasp of the issues as most adults. Certainly the 15-16 year olds could quite reasonably have a vote that would at the very least be as representative and as thought-through as a similar number of adults who do have a vote.

SuburbanRhonda · 23/06/2016 10:01

Yes, DS is 18 in August and is furious he can't vote.

He has worked very hard to persuade his 18-year-old friends to do the right thing though Wink

NapoleonsNose · 23/06/2016 10:08

DD 18 - In
DS 16, if he could, would also vote In.

BitOutOfPractice · 23/06/2016 10:10

DD1 (16 and outraged she can't vote): IN
DD2 (13) IN

MissJM1 · 23/06/2016 10:15

DS1 (7) says he'd vote to stay (he thinks 'leave europe' means we will personally have to leave where we live)

I'm voting IN
DH voting OUT

raisedbyguineapigs · 23/06/2016 10:22

underbrella Thank God your kids said that. Mine said the same thing. My eldest said ' We've just moved-we don't want to move again! I was a bit 😕! after explaining it and the school explaining g! Funnily enough we live in quite a eurosceptic area, but they did a vote in assembly and the vast majority of the kids were stay. My ds is 8 so all junior kids.

HopelesslydevotedtoGu · 23/06/2016 10:23

DD (2) stay

raisedbyguineapigs · 23/06/2016 10:25

I also teach politics to 16-18 year old's. It's very difficult when I was doing discussions to find a young leaver. It kind of crystallised my opinion because really we are voting for them, not us.

MurphysChild · 23/06/2016 10:25

Mine have already voted, one IN one OUT.

pigsinmud · 23/06/2016 10:27

I'm Remain
Dh Remain
Ds1 (18) Remain - upset he has A2 maths tomorrow am and can't stay up all night!
We've all voted already

Ds2 (16) Remain
Dd1 (12) Remain
Dd2 (10) Remain They had a class vote yesterday. Out of a class of 24, only 2 voted Leave (and they're twins!) .

raisedbyguineapigs · 23/06/2016 10:36

redhat what a great idea! I don't do a postal vote because I like the ritual and I wanted my dc to see that trudging off to the polling booth every few years is what you do but that would be a great way for them to see how to vote.

SuburbanRhonda · 23/06/2016 10:38

really we are voting for them, not us.

^^ This.

teacherwith2kids · 23/06/2016 10:39

DS, as he left this morning 'Remember to vote, mum. We're relying on you.'

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 23/06/2016 10:41

All three of mine think we should remain.

Only DS1 is actually old enough to vote though!

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 23/06/2016 10:42

I perhaps should just add that DD is only 4 so her decision may have been swayed by her older brothers Grin.

CotswoldStrife · 23/06/2016 10:48

DD wants to remain (she is 9), I think she's been influenced because her dad travels to Europe a lot on business so she can foresee consequences if the way we trade with Europe changes.

I usually take her with me to vote, but she didn't want to come today. She can go with DH tonight if she changes her mind.

I hope there is a big turnout!