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DemUnleashed

(633 posts)
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 09:21 AM Oct 2020

My 15 year old asked me my thoughts on Trump's COVID diagnosis

Just now before my son left for school, he came over to me and said "Mom, I know you hate Trump but you don't want him to die because he got COVID, do you?"

Now how the hell am I supposed to answer that?? I didn't want to send the message to my kid that human life doesn't matter and that you should never wish harm on anyone and I would be a horrible human being if I was fine with someone dying and on and on with those types of thoughts

So I just said "No, I don't want him to die" and I left off the part that I don't want him to die because I want him to suffer with the damage that COVID can do to you if you survive, that I want him to see Biden win, that I want him to see Republicans down the ballot losing big time, that I want to see him prosecuted and go to jail, that I want him to see his family go to jail

How horrible of a mom would he think he had if I had said all those things, so I didn't!

I'm curious....how do you suggest I should have answered his question? Have any of you been in a similar predicament?

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BumRushDaShow

(127,274 posts)
8. One of my youngest nieces will be that age in 4 months
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 09:34 AM
Oct 2020

They aren't stupid. She and most of her friends cried (literally - I was really surprised) when Hillary lost, and they were 11/12 at the time. I won't even detail how they feel about what is going on now. However my niece is also a little empath. She can't help it. She absorbs and internalizes all the pain that her friends may experience due to others who bully them. So it's a matter of how that child reacts to analogous situations and amazingly enough, that trait starts when they are little.

It will take years of "life" for them to understand the nuances of the complexities of the concept, but it also goes back to whether they are "hard-wired" for empathy or not. You can teach it and preach it but if their brain has no reaction to inflicting "pain" on others, whether physically or psychologically, there is not much you can do but try to guide them into another perspective.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
9. My 15 year old son and I talk about MF45 a lot.
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 09:40 AM
Oct 2020

The kiddo is well aware of my feelings about what a terrible person the pResident Our conversations center around telling the truth about what we see happening and doing the right thing even when you see so many others doing and saying things that hurt others. We talk about being patient and kind and sometimes we get righteously mad over our current circumstances with Covid and how it has caused such havoc in our lives with work and school. Specifically, when it comes to MF45’s Covid diagnosis, our conversations have been about consequences for our actions. tRump took risks and didn’t listen to science and he got sick. He may have gotten sick enough to die...time will tell. As my kiddo said...”tRump bought the ticket, now he’s got to take the ride.”

Cbus Girl

(32 posts)
17. I have a bottle too!
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 10:31 AM
Oct 2020

I told my daughter I’m drinking it when it leaves the White House walking or feet first.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
12. "It's not up to me or you, Son."
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 10:17 AM
Oct 2020

Covid is not affected one whit by my feelings or opinions. If the president's reckless, irresponsible behavior results in his death from this virus, it won't be because someone wished him ill or prayed ineffectually for his recovery.

ooky

(8,885 posts)
14. I've told my adult children I want him to live long enough to be humiliated in the election,
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 10:22 AM
Oct 2020

arrested and go to prison, and have all the family money taken away from them. Also, all his grifter family leave America.

After that the devil can have him.

ecstatic

(32,566 posts)
18. You answered correctly. But I would be curious about why he asked
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 10:46 AM
Oct 2020

Is his teacher saying that liberals want trump to die? That would be highly inappropriate.

Anyway, I can't speak for others, but I'm with you. Once tRump is gone (which my sources indicate will be soon), we all need to detox to get all the poison out of our systems.

I've never hated or wished harm on someone, but trump has spent every day of the last 4 years taunting and emotionally abusing the entire nation, disrespecting norms, and abusing his office.

DemUnleashed

(633 posts)
20. Thank you
Wed Oct 7, 2020, 01:18 PM
Oct 2020

Thank you for all your thoughts!

I think when he comes home, I will bring the topic up and I will say "Look, like I said, I don't want him to die but I do want him to have to pay the price for all the wrongs he has done. So on top of losing this election, I want to see him prosecuted and go to jail!" I will leave out the part of me wanting to see him suffer with COVID damages for the rest of his life

As far as I know, I don't think his teachers or anyone at school brought this up to make him think to ask me that question. I'll ask him about that though when he comes home. I thought he just brought it up because he knows how much I hate Trump and maybe he wanted to find out if I hated him enough to actually wish death on a fellow human being

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