Talking To Young People About The Near Assassination Of Trump
As the world continues to process how an assassination attempt could take place on one of the world’s most powerful people, parents and other guardians are faced with a dilemma no one wanted: should you, and how do you, speak to a child about an assassination attempt on a former, and likely the next, American president?
Let’s be clear, you should and you must have the conversations around the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. Few events in history are as significant as what just happened in America. And parents and other leadership figures, must process these events with young people.
After dozens of conversations with teenagers since that shocking event, here are my takeaways on how to help young people in this time of national trauma. The following are real-life statements made directly to me by teenagers and my thoughts on a response that will help them navigate this conversation.
“I never thought that would happen in our lifetime”
Even though today’s teenagers were raised in an era of political instability, war, and terrorism, being an American should make them feel safe. Events like the assassination attempt on President Trump are a shock to that security.
However, teenagers need to understand that while this was a near miss, there were American heroes on that stage that day. Celebrate the men and women who give their life to protect the president, and, the American resilience made clear as President Trump stood and the crowd chanted, “USA, USA, USA.”
Then, contrast that heroism with what brought the nation to this point. This is what hate and demonization does. It makes the senseless possible. Ask young people whether, as leaders one day themselves, how they will shape an America where people agree to disagree again without demonizing those who hold other views.
“That is scary actually”
It was scary. They are right to feel this way.
What is important to remember is that there were several things that helped to neutralize the situation so that it did not become worse. This is also a good opportunity to remind young people that God’s hand has always been on America. Call President Trump’s survival for what it was: a miracle orchestrated by a sovereign God for His purposes.
Not only did we see the terrifying hand of evil at work, we also saw the timely hand of God once again on our nation. There is a sovereign God who is still in control, even when society may seem like it is out of control.
Young people need to be reminded that there are security measures in place in government, in the private sector, in public spaces, and even at their school. And if they feel unsafe or uncertain, we must all practice, “see something, say something.” They should also be reminded that our ultimate security is in our proximity to America’s God.
“He’s gonna win the Presidency now”
This is likely. Time will tell.
When bad things happen, oftentimes, good things can result from the hardship. Whether or not Trump wins the Presidency, there’s another good thing which comes from this: it is a wake-up call for all of America’s political leaders that things must change with the way we have been doing politics in this country. Eight years of demonizing Donald Trump, and all his supporters, has consequences. He shouldn’t be demonized nor should anyone who is contending for political office.
One of the things I have been sharing with young people recently is the importance of their voices. This is a perfect time for young people to realize how powerful voting really is in our democratic society. We may have an opinion, but our opinion doesn’t matter that much if we do not take a few minutes and register to vote and ultimately get to the ballot box and wield our greatest responsibility in an election – to vote!
“That’s a bad look on us (America)”
Sure, this may be true. But, it also looks good on America too.
Those people that Saturday afternoon showed up for a few hours to participate in our sacred, democratic process. That should be celebrated, and even when an assassins bullet ripped through the crowd, like President Trump, they didn’t cower and run away. They stood as Americans defiant in their democracy in the face of a person who sought to take away the democratic right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
It's time we stop teaching history by showing our young people America’s lowlight reels and showing them the highlight reels of every other country. No, let’s do the opposite.
Let’s celebrate America’s highlight reels and teach young people why this is the most important country in human history and why it’s worth fighting for. This is actually a great time to remind young people of this country’s indelible mark on world history while everyone is paying attention.
Finally
One thing we must all keep in mind is that young people are actually often more resilient than adults.
They still believe they are invincible and they should be taught that their country is strong too. They are not shielded or protected from hardship and difficulty, but, they have a remarkable flexibility and recovery when faced with crisis. They may handle this horror better than the rest of us.
Remember, this conversation will teach us a lot when speaking to young people because young people don’t know yet what they’re not allowed to say in a political society. In other words, they just tell us the truth. And we all need a bit more truth in our world.
Please, parents, don’t miss this opportunity to teach your children about world events. If there ever was a “teachable moment’, this is it.