A friend of his was running in an upcoming election. My father, as a government employee, could not campaign, but I could. My father provided me with the research material to help me decide how I felt about this campaign, and my sister and I enlisted. These two events did more to prepare me for my first election than any civics class ever could. When my father gave away his vote to me, I learned that one vote really matters, and is really a way of trying to have control over our own lives. When I worked on the campaign, I learned how elections really work. I saw the crooked techniques used by the opponent, and discovered just how they affected the vote. I saw the issues in a new way when I had to explain them to others.
It can seem alarming to parents to realize that a teen who can't get up in the morning, forgets his homework and lives on hamburgers gets to help decide the future of our nation. A properly prepared teenager, however, is ready to make hard choices. The challenge is to help them to be properly prepared.
A politically involved household is the best way to prepare a teenager to vote. Don't just watch the quick blurbs on the evening news. Read the in-depth articles available in newspapers, magazines and on the Internet. Tune into the debates and take notes. If you do these things as a family, you will be setting an example for your children and showing them how to prepare for the election.
