Dear Donald Trump,
Thank you for teaching my kids so much. Seriously.
For instance, about manners. I must admire the way you have demonstrated rudeness so thoroughly. My kids have always had their own ideas about rudeness, which includes burping, farting, and eating salad with their fingers. But until recently, they’ve never seen true rudeness in action. Your constant interrupting and talking over people has made an impression. Or making fun of people for a disability or because of the way they look or simply because they are women. It’s as though you are deliberately creating these insightful little teaching moments. So when my kids say, “Whoa, that’s so rude!” we can answer, “Yes! Incredibly! That is rude!”
And thank you for teaching our kids new words. My 10-year-old daughter did not know the word “misogynist” until this election cycle. And to see it in action, well, that was a special treat. As an extra bonus, you taught her how some men judge women. Up until now, she was under the impression that women were judged by their words, actions, and intellect. It was eye-opening for her to discover that there are a lot of people in the world who view a woman’s worth much more simplistically—by the way she looks. It will serve her well in the future to know what’s out there in the world—sad as the fact may be.
Thank you for teaching my 5-year-old son what kind of man not to be. He sees you as an angry clown, wearing a frown and yelling all the time. The sound of your voice (which admittedly, we should keep out of his hearing range) truly makes him want to scream, too. It also makes him want to turn off the television, so a hearty thanks for that! I didn’t think there was anything on the planet that could achieve that goal.
Most of all, thank you for not pretending to be anything but what you are. Really, we’re glad you didn’t wait to be voted into office to suddenly slough off your shiny candidate veneer to reveal the racist underbelly underneath. It’s so refreshing to have a candidate who hates so much, he simply can’t pretend. And it’s opened up lots of interesting conversations around our house. Like how can Donald Trump hate Muslims or Mexicans or lots of people he’s never even met before? That’s what my kids want to know. How can you dislike people and call them names when you’ve never even had a conversation with them?
So, thank you, Donald Trump. You’ve taught my children so much. I can only hope that when the results come in, you will teach them how to lose gracefully. Because that is a truly important lesson for everyone to learn. And I’m looking forward to watching you demonstrate it.
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