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There’s something humbling about sitting across from a kid during a political crisis. Not because they don’t understand, but because they understand differently. They cut straight to the heart of things. They won’t let you hide behind jargon or the familiar “well… it’s complicated.”
So when 13-year-old Margo asked me what a government shutdown even is, I had to break it down to the bare essentials. I told her:
“Anything that happens with money, it starts in Congress. There’s a deadline, and if they don’t get agreement by then, the funding runs out. As a result of that, the government shuts down.”
That’s the simplest version. But she wanted to know why it was happening. And that’s where the truth gets heavier. I explained:
“Democrats helped subsidize the cost of health care. Republicans are arguing those subsidies should not continue. That means health care costs could increase by a 100 or 200 or 300 percent.”
And then I said the part that hurt to say out loud to a young person:
“Many Americans will choose not to take health care at all. That could be a choice of life versus death.”
Those are stakes no child should have to process. And yet, here they are, living with the consequences of adults who can’t get their act together.
The conversation got me thinking about my grandfather. He worked hard his whole life, but he didn’t have health insurance. So when something hurt, he tried to power through—Goody powders, Advil, whatever he could manage. By the time he learned he had diabetes, it was too late. He lost his leg. Then he lost his ability to work. Eventually, we lost him.
I told her plainly:
“People are making choices like that if they don’t have health care or if they can’t afford health care. People will make life and death decisions.”
Watching her absorb that stopped me for a moment. Kids don’t mask their emotions the way adults do. She felt the weight instantly.
Then came the question I’ll be thinking about for a long time:
“In school right now we’re learning about how the founding fathers wanted America to be an example for other countries. They say they want America to be equality for all men, but how come 250 years later that still isn’t true?”
What do you even say to that? I gave her the most honest answer I could:
“What the founders had was this grand idea… something we should continue to strive for. But it’s not something we’ve always achieved. We still have so far to go.”
That’s the reality. And young people feel that gap between our ideals and our outcomes more sharply than we do.
As for our first Sit Your Butt Down Award? Margo didn’t hesitate:
“J.D. Vance. He thinks he’s very, very important, but no one knows what he has actually done.”
Honestly? A solid call. Sometimes the kids’ table sees more clearly than Washington.
This first Kids’ Table conversation reminded me why I wanted to create this series in the first place. Kids aren’t waiting for us to be perfect. They’re watching to see if we’re honest. They want explanations, not excuses. They want clarity, not chaos.
Talking to Margo forced me to slow down and explain the stakes in plain English: the shutdown, the healthcare fight, equality, even my own family’s story. And it reminded me of something I think adults forget:
Kids already know when something’s broken. They just need someone willing to admit it.
— Jaime
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