Things usually stay light and funny on Life of Dad’s Facebook page but when we dared ask about, gulp, politics, some of the moms and dads in our community came out guns a’ blazin. Still, there were many thoughtful answers to the question, ‘do you talk to your kids about politics‘. Here’s just some of what you told us.

Milena De Angelis: My son is 13 and politics and world affairs are an everyday conversation in our home. He knows more than I do on many topics already. He taught me the meaning of the word ad hominem yesterday.

Nicole A. Stowe: My stepson and I always have real world conversations when he is over. Just this past weekend we got on the subject of how nothing is free, then somehow it got turned into how taxes work. He will be 7 soon, but he is above many in maturity and decision making for his age.

Shannon Crystal: She’s 17, has always gone with me to vote, and we have common conversations about HOW to evaluate what is said, not just who said it.

Rhaynee Ryan Colbert: I talk to my kids about treating people right and doing the right thing no matter a persons race, social class, country of origin, things that no person in the political world will ever truly talk about with honesty.

David Sanchez: No because then all they repeat is what U say and occasionally substitute or forget words then what they say can come out wrong and possibly get em in trouble or offend someone while not meaning to. I know some that do and occasionally their kids sound racist or they say something that has hurt my daughters feeling because they have poor choice of wording and really have no idea what they are saying.

Andrew Ward Rickards: When my kids are older if they want to talk about politics I’d be more then happy to listen, what’s important is to not give them our view but allow them to form their own.

Steve Gray: My boy is too young for politics per se but we are trying to install some fundamental things in him which to be honest are more to do with common decency, manners and fairness which should be part of politics and hopefully make him grow I to a well round fed person.

Jason Matthews: To my 14 y/o son , yes. Just so he has an understanding of the way things work and to dig a little deeper than the surface of things.

Aavery Mundt: Yes sll the time. She is 11 and we listen to NPR on the radio on our way to school. She is well informed and has an interest in what is going on in the world.

Cullen Monk: No, my kids are 2 and 6 months. So, thankfully, they get to avoid all that junk for a little while.

And finally, a real debate worth having:

Anthony Cordero: Sure, we debate on who has better powers between Elsa and Spider-Man.

How do you talk to your kids about politics? Share your story with us on Facebook!

*Flickr photo by Phil Roeder, used under Creative Commons license.