We are currently living through times unprecedented in so many ways. This being the case, politics is a frequent topic of discussion in our home. I am nearly certain this is not unusual. Growing up, I remember the word “Watergate” permeating many a discussion in my own childhood home. Now, nearly 50 years later, I find myself the father of three young daughters, daughters who want to know things, who want to understand the outrage their parents are feeling. Even my four-year-old wants to understand. And this can be challenging to explicate at times.
But other times, not so much.
Take, for example, the current administration’s policy of seizing immigrant families seeking asylum and locking them in cages at the southern border. This particular policy, just in terms of pure cruelty, has not been terribly difficult for my youngest daughter to grasp as reason for outrage (note: my wife and I do not discuss the fact that many children have been permanently separated from their parents- that detail is left out). When discussions of politics bubble up, this is an accessible entry point for my youngest.
A few nights ago at the dinner table, current events and politics once again surfaced as our topic of discussion. My oldest daughters asked, as they normally do, numerous questions, which prompted my youngest daughter to ask why kids and families are ending up detained in cages at the southern border. “Well,” I began, “a lot of those families are trying to get away from bad people in their home countries. They come here because they want to find a better life.”
“That’s like Babar,” interrupted my youngest. For a moment, we all sat, silently processing her statement. What was the connection? I wondered. She continued, “Babar was trying to get away from a hunter who got his mom. Remember?”
A beat.
“Oh my goodness, you’re right, honey.” I suddenly caught onto the connection she was making to Jean de Brunhoff’s book, The Story of Babar: The Little Elephant. “It’s like Babar! Babar fled from the hunter to a city where he found someone who was kind to him.”
I never cease to be amazed at the way children can connect, the way stories help them make sense of their world. Kissing the top of my daughter’s head, I affirmed her, “Great connection, sweetheart.” But inside, I felt so saddened by the context of her connection.
LANNY BALL, Literacy Specialist 
I wrote about kids making sense of the world last week, on a much lighter topic. But it is fascinating. I wish they didn’t have to make sense of such tough things.
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Yes, the connections that kids make are incredible, but what struck me about your slice was the space that your family has created for connections to be articulated & heard. It has me wondering about how to replicate that authenticity in a classroom. Thank you!
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“Great connection, sweetheart.” But inside, I felt so saddened by the context of her connection
I, like you, praised her connection but in a skip felt saddened by the fact that she has to make these kinds of connections. The world has never been perfect, especially the world of politics, but this is a whole new level.
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What a world we’re living in, Lanny. I love that you’re having such rich conversations in your family, but sad that you have to have them about such injustice. You may be shaping a leader who will change our current reality. I miss your perspective at school, especially now!
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Thank you! Who is this beautiful from?
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Thanks for allowing me to be a fly on the wall at your dinner table. Your conversation inspires me to keep reading to kids. They need stories to help connect and understand their world. I just might place Babar on my hold list at the library for curbside pickup. I might need to reread his story to help me understand my world. Also, know that you have years and years of political dinner table discussions ahead of you. My now 31-year old daughter came to dinner Sunday and we had a similar discussion. Now as adults, we discussed working to make positive change, or as John Lewis (who is on my mind today) would say, make “good trouble”.
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Thank you, Sally! Not sure I’d actually recommend Babar (it’s a bit odd if you ask me), but the connection she made was all her own and definitely not one I’d come up with!
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The Babar connection is both sad and brilliant. It’s wonderful to see how she’s making connections even though they’re about dismal situations.
NOTE TO SELF: Get Babar for Ari.
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