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Politics and your adult children

(83 Posts)
LucyAnna2 Fri 11-Oct-24 18:19:16

Our older son has been here today and we have (good naturedly) discussed our (very different) political views. Younger son thinks more along the lines of our views, as does daughter, who is a very active party member.

How is the political climate in your house?

newnanny Mon 14-Oct-24 14:21:22

I don't think it's insulting because it is widely known that younger people vote more to the left but over time their votes tend to shift to the right. Hence not many pensioners vote Labour yet the same people say they did vote Labour more when they were younger.

Ladyleftfieldlover Mon 14-Oct-24 14:19:23

Norah

David49

Three subjects we don’t discuss in the family or any other polite company, Sex, Politics and Religion.
I’m happy to have a good argument anonymously on GN where personal relationships aren’t affected.

Agreed.

We add not discussing finances.

We are happy to discuss sex, religion and politics! We’d never discuss finance with the children. We did when they were students because we were subbing them. Not now though.

glammagran Mon 14-Oct-24 13:18:35

My 2 older children have very similar political views as we do. However, the youngest who is 16 years younger than child 2 has very left wing views. We don’t have political discussions with her and neither do her siblings. DH is a lot further to the right than I am. I have to kick him under the table if he tries to initiate a political conversation considering how polarised their views are.

Neilspurgeon0 Mon 14-Oct-24 13:06:36

My DW hates it when self and DD discuss the political scene. We are not the same but both of us are willing to listen and open to having our minds changed. DS1 shares his mothers indifference DS2 is further right than either self or DD but can discuss only DD won’t listen to him and badgers him.

As a result now just one person at a time in our living room. Christ alone knows what Christmas will be like - maybe I will just go out for the day !!

Norah Mon 14-Oct-24 13:00:06

David49

Three subjects we don’t discuss in the family or any other polite company, Sex, Politics and Religion.
I’m happy to have a good argument anonymously on GN where personal relationships aren’t affected.

Agreed.

We add not discussing finances.

Ladyleftfieldlover Mon 14-Oct-24 12:54:56

mabon1

Why does it matter?

Why would you say that?

mabon1 Mon 14-Oct-24 12:47:21

Why does it matter?

Ladyleftfieldlover Mon 14-Oct-24 12:38:56

I have become more left wing as I’ve got older. What’s happening in mainland Europe is scary. trump is even more scary! OH is left wing as are my three children. My daughter works for the NHS, elder son was in the Cabinet Office but is now in the private sector and younger son is a Senior Policy Advisor in Westminster. We have interesting political conversations.

sazz1 Mon 14-Oct-24 12:37:25

My family and I all discussed who we were voting for before the election. We're a very mixed bunch, 3 Reform, 1 Labour, 1 Green, 1 Conservative. We don't argue about it and all respect each other's views. How it should be.

David49 Mon 14-Oct-24 12:35:56

Three subjects we don’t discuss in the family or any other polite company, Sex, Politics and Religion.
I’m happy to have a good argument anonymously on GN where personal relationships aren’t affected.

Cossy Mon 14-Oct-24 12:25:51

NotSpaghetti

Ilovecheese - I noticed that too and decided I'd just ignore it.
I can't ignore it a second time!
I agree!

I too agree

Norah Mon 14-Oct-24 12:20:23

Ilovecheese

Cumbrianmale56 said: "My niece was hard left, but has grown up "
I find remarks like these rather insulting, there was something similar upthread.
Wanting a more equal society does not mean that one is not grown up, it is just a different opinion to your own.
I supported the policies of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell and am perfectly grown up thank you.
My children are perhaps not as left leaning as myself but broadly on the same page.

It is insulting.

People are allowed different opinions.

GrammarGrandma Mon 14-Oct-24 12:10:52

Our two older daughters are the same as us politically. The youngest takes little interest in British politics and current affairs and lives abroad most of the time. If any of them had voted for Brexit, it would have been very difficult to cope with. Youngest daughter's in-laws did and are of a different political persuasion from us, so we don't discuss politics with them. They are very nice people and we have three grandchildren in common son we just all have a tacit agreement to steer clear.

nanna8 Mon 14-Oct-24 11:59:22

We have 2 right leaning children and 2 left leaning ones. Of those one of the left leaners is very left and the other doesn’t care, not interested. Of the others one of them works for the government which is very left just now. She says they are incompetent idiots and much worse than their conservative predecessors. She keeps quiet but has the evidence to prove it.
The other one is very traditional so tends right not left.
Probably because we are neither. Just now more ‘right’ because the ‘left’ seem to be pretty malfunctioning here.

NotSpaghetti Mon 14-Oct-24 11:21:22

Ilovecheese - I noticed that too and decided I'd just ignore it.
I can't ignore it a second time!
I agree!

Ilovecheese Mon 14-Oct-24 11:11:10

Cumbrianmale56 said: "My niece was hard left, but has grown up "
I find remarks like these rather insulting, there was something similar upthread.
Wanting a more equal society does not mean that one is not grown up, it is just a different opinion to your own.
I supported the policies of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell and am perfectly grown up thank you.
My children are perhaps not as left leaning as myself but broadly on the same page.

Trueloveways Mon 14-Oct-24 09:07:13

We’re all left of centre, including extended family. Most of us work in health, education or local government so perhaps that’s why we’re more aware of what’s going on and how it’s affecting people.

Tenko Sun 13-Oct-24 20:10:48

We discuss politics at home . Both our AC are left , I’m left biased and my dh is conservative. We have quite interesting conversations.

JaneJudge Sun 13-Oct-24 15:11:48

me and my Mother seem to agree mainly about politics. Only one of my own children discusses politics with me. They seem quite focussed on us being controlled by the elite, the banks, the media, honestly it is a bloody minefield with them and they are so bloody stubborn confused grin heaven knows who he gets it off...

Cumbrianmale56 Sun 13-Oct-24 15:02:02

My nephew set up his own business when he was 17 and is a Conservative activist, although he isn't on the party's hard Right and disliked a local MP whom he said looked like an EDL thug. My niece was hard left, but has grown up and now supports the Lib Dems, and my other niece isn't that bothered. Don't have any children so use my sister's kids as an example.

Visgir1 Sun 13-Oct-24 14:01:10

My son read Politics & International Relations at University.
He is his own man and came to his own conclusions.

If we want to know anything political we ask him. It's quite unbelievable who he knows, what he gets to know, that doesn't get reported in the papers and the contacts he has.

He's still in his mid 30's and chairman of his local political party. He's served on first the Town Council at age 23, then until last year on the the Local council, where by only 70 votes he lost his seat. He firmly believes all MP's should have served on a Council not career politicians and held a "proper" job.
Needless to say his Party want him to stand in 5 years time, and I will be surprised if he doesn't, his age group is what every party needs.

Cossy Sun 13-Oct-24 13:09:16

We are very political in our house and all are on similar pages, Elder son quite left, younger two daughters are left biased but voted Green and LibDems in last GE, younger son did turn up at the voting booth, but “spoiled” his ballot paper as no one “appealed” to him!!

TerriBull Sun 13-Oct-24 13:04:14

I think one of my sons grudgingly still thinks Jeremy Corbyn is about an honest a politician as there in a "what you see is what you get", he did vote for him in his student days. His dislike of politicians per se is immense I'm often listening to his diatribes against certain individuals which are varied but would include all of these, Netanyahu, Johnson, Starmer, Reeves, Biden, Trump, Kamala Harris, Trudeau to name but a few. My other son doesn't really have any strong opinions and would vote for who he'd see as beneficial to his circumstances. My husband was relating how two of his older grandchildren when first eligible to vote, one suggested to the other "lets go and vote together" to which the other replied, "lets not bother, I know who you're voting for so my vote will just cancel yours out"

eazybee Sun 13-Oct-24 12:41:16

Of my adult children and their partners, I think one voted Conservative, one Lib Dem, one Labour and one Independent.
All thought about it, some have voted differently in the past, and we can all agree to differ. And they all vote, which is the main thing!

Norah Sun 13-Oct-24 12:03:58

Political climate in my home - good.

I don't talk of politics, money, or religion within our family. I know their Church because mine is the same, I know where they live and could work out their money situation, and don't care how they vote.