Lessons For Parents In The Age of Trump

The 70 year-old “I Didn’t Do It” Kid can teach our own kids how to take responsibility.

President Donald J. Trump has in some ways been a gift to parents worldwide. He has provided us with a daily and dramatic example of how to avoid responsibility for anything at all, to pin the blame on others, and to duck, dodge, and avoid any and all self-reflection and criticism. He is also often blamed for things he didn’t do, to the point where nobody is really sure what he has or has not done. Clear personal statements of responsibility can help avoid this ambiguity.

“The buck stops here” was a saying on FD Roosevelt’s desk. This presidency is not that. This is the “the buck stops with everyone but me” presidency. Somebody else is always at fault for his actions. I usually find as a grown man that it is often best to take responsibility even if I am not sure if I am at fault. This is more in keeping with Stoicism than any modern (or post-modern) philosophy. The world is better when all in it take responsibility for their own actions.

President Donald J. Trump has proved an example for parents worldwide that is useful in our own parenting. He has given parents lots of inspiration for teaching how, and how not, to live. On a daily basis, he gives moral lessons about manners, masculinity, how to treat people, the pursuit of wealth and power, and the importance of knowledge about the world. This can likely always be said about wealthy and powerful people, and so often, as in this case, they give us…