On Saturday 21, thousands of women took to the streets in several cities of the United States and the world to express their rejection of the newly invested President Donald Trump, or rather what is supposed to be the new direction of his policy.
Soon, a photograph began to run like wildfire on social networks until it went viral. In it we see a 22-month-old girl carrying her own banner made by herself and of course, in her language. The photo has not left anyone indifferent and where many have seen inspiration others see simple use taken advantage of the innocence of a child. And it is clear that Not all fathers or mothers see a demonstration as a place for children.
Education or manipulation?
For me the answer is simple; To take my children to a demonstration is to teach them another lesson in life, how to exercise one of the main rights we all have as citizens, including them. Society moves and they are also a part of it and as such they must be represented and it is our obligation as parents to watch over it.
It is clear that as minors they are, it will depend on their age and the type of manifestation to have or not their own opinion. Perhaps, in most cases they do not know very well why they are there but when they are older and if we are the ones who talk about what happens outside Clan or DisneyTV, they surely want to be one more by our side and of course in their own way.
The importance of having a place in the group
In the same way that for them it is important that we give them certain responsibilities, the same happens with making them sharers of this other facet, of course always being at their height and respect.
For them it is to share time with their parents doing "older things"Although they do not even know very well why we carry posters and we are all singing or shouting slogans. It is the case of photography, in which the girl probably when seeing her parents and especially her sister to make the banner she wanted to join the group preparing their own. We do not know if he was in favor or against the march, but surely what he was was in favor of being with the rest of the family doing whatever they were doing.
The safety of minors is important
Unfortunately, not all manifestations are safe for our children and although what is claimed in them is important, it may not be the best place for them if we cannot guarantee their safety.
What if my son didn't want to join us?
What happens if our son does not want to accompany us, if he prefers to stay at home watching TV (to say something)? It is clear that he does not feel that the problem goes with him and it is possible that at this time it is so but I think it is important to make him see that it is not a matter of now, but to defend what belongs to one or even, as was the case from the last demonstration, go out in defense of others.
I think attending a demonstration is something that should be done, at least once. Nor is it necessary that we take him to the first opportunity even if he does not want to, we can talk about it, explain how important it is to defend the rights of each one, to express our discontent with what is happening in the same way he expresses it on the issues that are most up to him, try to put ourselves in his situation, respect his decision and wait for a new opportunity, because we all know what it is to take a child to an event that is not tailored without him You want to go.
How to prepare for a demonstration with children?
Well, as we would do with any other outing with children that can take several hours. Bring a backpack with water and food, protection for the sun if it is summer or for the cold if it is winter
If there are going to be babies or very young children that cannot or will not stand for a long time on foot, we must think about carrying some kind of porting system better than a car, due to the maneuverability problems that we may have within the demonstration.
It is also important to tell them what they should do to avoid getting lost and if they happen to know what to do in that case.
Socially committed minors
We may think that our children only care about mobile phones, tablets or who plays this weekend, but the reality is that more and more children decide to take the step and work to get a better world for their classmates.
We have already passed the time of being a class delegate or responsible for distributing notebooks in class, now it is not difficult to find work groups in schools related in some way to social movements and committed to the community.
It is important for us to instill in our children the critical spirit, like many other values such as solidarity, he commitment and the effort. Tomorrow or maybe today may not agree with us or with our ideas or ends, but the goal is not to think like us but to have the necessary tools to do it for themselves and that they know how to use them.
And you, have you taken your children to a demonstration?
