*Headdesk*

[miss_lucy21]

Hardest thing I've done this week: explain the differences between the immigration policies of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama to a 9 year old who comes from an immigrant family in such a way that 1) he could understand, 2) was reasonably accurate and 3) wasn't scary to him, because while this particular child is a US citizen, I am very aware that he likely knows people who are not necessarily in the US legally. This task was complicated by the fact that his older brother (who is 11) interpreted Romney's immigration policy as "he wants to send everyone back to where they came from". I later discovered that Older brother is terrified of being deported because his family knows people who have been and who were subsequently caught up in the violence that is growing increasingly common in the area of the world where they came from (Little brother may not be aware of that- Older brother overheard adults talking). Older brother was in the room while I was trying to explain this and I'm sure he was listening in, so I am now doubly glad I was choosing my words carefully.

(These kids are highly unlikely to be deported- they are citizens and it's been strongly implied that their parents are legal residents- but this is scary stuff to adults, never mind kids who have a shaky understanding of the basic concepts involved, let alone the nuances of the situation)

(This also drove home the fact that I have a hell of a lot of privilege when it comes to this issue- my great-grandfather was the only member of my family of the previous 3 generations who wasn't born in the US and he was a naturalized citizen well before I was born)