The New York Daily News is reporting that Jerry Seinfeld has been highly critical of a move by his son’s former school to offer a day off after the election for ‘distressed’ kids. Here is some perspective based on a long term career in HR and how these types of things might manifest in the future.
Put Knowledge over Emotion
First, I have witnessed this before. I have served on several non-profit boards in the education sector and shortly after the 2016 election, the leaders of one of them offered safety pins to students as something to hold on to while some of them processed the pain and suffering of their preferred candidate losing. I learned of this on a routine call and immediately asked if it would be a better idea to offer some quick classes on civics, covering elections and how they come about and how citizens participate and what to do if your side does not win. Let’s just say my comments were not well received. But I stand by them. Knowledge beats a day off to cry every time. Resilience and grit are also admirable qualities that companies will be looking for in your kids later on in life.
Put Down the Phone
This is not just for the kids but also for their parents. We are inundated with politics from morning until evening with some well-intended friends that just won’t shut up about it, even in professional settings. Social media is amplifying the problem. Govern yourself. Self-help experts continue to recommend tactics to help you get off the phone and limit your screen time. Look up the tips and use them: turning off notifications of certain apps is a great idea. Isn’t it common knowledge by now that algorithms are designed to exploit us, not help us? Limiting screen time will benefit your kids, with the ability to focus, study, problem solve and relate to others later in life.
Have a Life, Including a Spiritual One
If you are talking politics all day long without interruptions from other things like sports, whats for dinner, the party down the street or even God, you’ve got a problem. Many have written about the tendency toward religiosity in non-religious settings (see Faith of the Atheist). We are a free country and if you choose not to belong to a church, that’s up to you, but resist the temptation to apply religious instincts to other things like politics. It may cut down on the emotion that comes when your side doesn’t win. In addition, a spiritual inclination will help us all deal with any sort of crisis, knowing that a higher power is involved. Some of you may be reading this and thinking I am full of it, but research continues to validate that believers are happier than non-believers. Happiness is a good thing.
Big question: are we acting out through our kids?
I remember several big social events when I was a kid, like the moon landing when I was 4 and later the Nixon resignation when I was a bit older, but one thing I do not remember was much discussion of political happenings in school, other than a mock election and maybe certain opinionated teachers occasionally blathering on. It was different then. I do wonder if these kinds of actions – like giving a day off to distressed students – are more projection by adults on to kids than anything needed and necessary. I do know that if you tell someone that they should be upset over and over, eventually they will be.
From Jerry: “What kind of lives have these people led that makes them think that this is the right way to handle young people?” and I’d say that’s a legit question.
