Welcome to #First100Days!
The #First100Days series will “bear witness” to the next 13 weeks of the Trump administration and the climate in America and then respond openly in writing, dialogue, and debate in the hopes of fostering better communication among writers and partisans alike (although the essays and pieces do not have to be political in nature).
We’re looking to help give voice to honest and thematic essays from all layers of the political spectrum and across all GMP sections.
All opinions are those of the author and not necessarily of Good Men Media, The Good Men Project, or our editors.
I’m not against President Trump.
But don’t think for a moment that I voted for him.
From the very beginning of his campaign, like a crazed sports fan, I rooted for Senator Sanders.
His compassion, experience, and years of beating the same drum without burning out appealed to me. Bernie Sanders was the kind of man I could point to with my sons on my lap and tell them “that’s a man you can admire; that’s a guy you can try to imitate.”
Alas, the senator dropped out and gave stage to Mrs. Clinton and the rest, as we know it, is history.
But not all is lost. Mr. Trump being the guy behind the Resolute Desk is not a reason to lose hope. He may make you angry, and some (or all) of his policy decisions may make you wake up in the morning and want to hide for the next four (or, possibly, eight years—it could happen—it happened once.)
But we won’t teach our children anything by hiding.
Our children will learn nothing by watching us stare at our televisions or smartphones fuming with righteous anger to the point of being speechless.
We must use this presidency to teach our children what we believe, why we believe, and how to chart a positive course forward without sinking into mud slinging and hate–becoming bemoaning weaklings with no heart.
I’m planning on using the presidency of Donald J. Trump, and his personality, as a learning tool to teach my kids to stand for what they believe and to encourage them to think of others first.
President Donald J. Trump is tenacious.
In this CNN article, it’s clear that President Trump will be like one of his predecessors, former President Clinton, and will “burn the midnight oil” in order to create the sweeping change he wants to create.
I plan on showing my children that when you believe in something as wholeheartedly as Mr. Trump, you work hard and put your heart, mind, and soul into it.
President Donald J. Trump is passionate.
Although I don’t agree with every policy decision the president has made (or will make), there is no doubt that he’s passionate about the policies he creates.
Building a wall along the US/Mexican border is something the president deeply cares about and as of the writing of this article it seems like he’s going to work to keep that promise.
I’m going to teach my children that when you believe in something, even if it’s controversial, you have to see it through. I’m also going to teach them that you keep your promises.
President Donald J. Trump has said hurtful, disrespectful things.
Whether it be his comments about pussygrabbing or his sweeping statements about Muslims, President Trump has hurt feelings and alienated a good portion of the nation.
It will be my goal to teach my children the decency of respect. No matter who you are, or how powerful your influence is, a person should be kind and respectful. I’ll teach my children that they don’t need to be bullies in order to get what they want. I’ll teach them that working together, collaborating with those who may disagree with them, will produce good and meaningful work and make them better people.
Whether the presidency of Donald J. Trump is successful or not will be in the eye of the beholder. But what we, the American people and those abroad, do with his presidency is entirely up to us. To attack everything the president does will not show our children the tolerance that we’ve instilled in them. We cannot be tolerant of hate and misogyny, but we can use those things as teaching moments to help our children seek first to understand and then create their own qualified worldviews.
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