MODERN FAMILY

THEY don’t have the right to vote and they often give the impression that they are too busy playing video games or watching inane videos on the internet to pay any attention to what is going on around them.

But it never ceases to amaze me how much children actually take in regarding what is going on in the world of politics.

They could probably name more Love Island contestants than they could MPs, but many are very aware of who the UK’s new Prime Minister is and they are also able to form their own views on what that means.

That includes some pretty strong views on what that means.

Politics is often considered to be business for ‘grown-ups’ and not something children need to be concerned about, but politics is the means by which their futures are being shaped.

It can be a tricky one to explain to children, but point out that politicians get on like big kids arguing in the playground most of the time (which isn’t particularly misleading) and they start to get a greater handle on what is happening.

When I asked my younger son about Brexit recently, he said he wanted cereal, toast and a large glass of orange juice.

With all the different accents in our house (the boys could qualify to play for four of the Six Nations) things can get lost in translation – just like they can in politics, too.

But after getting the conversation back on track, they surprised me with their mature views on what should happen next, and what they would do if they were Prime Minister.

They pointed out that they are the ones who are going to have to live with the mess that we seem to have got ourselves into, and bemoan the fact that they are too young to vote and do anything about it because their voices won’t be heard until it is probably too late.

It is never too early to talk to them about politics.

Experts have found that young people aged 18 to 24 who don’t vote say it’s because they weren’t taught about politics at school, and therefore don’t understand it.

Teaching your child about politics isn’t just about making sure they vote once they’re able to. Politics governs everything we do in life, and is relevant even to young children. Even in the first years of school they learn about fairness, sharing and equality.

Children often have lots of questions about politics, especially about big-news events like Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister. Answering their questions about how local and central government works – rather than dismissing them as subjects that your child doesn’t need to know about – will help them become better informed.

And they don’t have to think like their mum and dad. Getting them to think for themselves is important.