Book Nook: Raising the Resistance

 There are a lot of challenging topics in our world today, and it's important as parents to raise confident kids that know how to stand up for what's right. I was happy to review Raising the Resistance.

The book talks about how feminism and motherhood relate - not every woman has the desire to become president, or even to be a political leader. That's ok. This book helps parents learn how to do activism in small ways as well, even if it's just a matter of correcting a misinformed family member or friend about issues.

The book is practical and inspiring. It touches on political representation, sexual misconduct, and more. It also values empathy and awareness, creating solutions instead of just complaining, and passing those values on to children. If you want to instill a sense of justice in your kids, but you don't now how to advocate for your political values, this book can be a good resource.

I had a chance to interview the author to learn more.

Why did you write this book?

After the election of 2016, a really vibrant resistance movement emerged in response to the heightened bigotry and misogyny went mainstream. I noticed this movement was being led by women and especially mothers. Also, I noticed an influx of women engaged in political activism because they felt a moral obligation to rise up, but had never been politically active and felt daunted. I wanted to empower these women and provide some direction about how to incorporate effective political activism in their roles as mothers.

Why is it so important for mothers to be involved politically, even in small ways?
Small actions make a big, collective impact. We all possess some skills and talents we can bring to the movement. There is incredible power in numbers and that's what we're seeing right now in this fight against police brutality and racism. So many people find themselves in the fight because they've been oppressed and feel they don't have power. But collectively they're enacting large-scale change and crumbling entire systems that have been in place for decades. It's incredible and inspiring. 

How can parents raise their children to be respectful when opinions differ, but still firm in their beliefs?

I think it's valuable to raise our children to be their authentic selves and stay true to their convictions. That can be really difficult. I couldn't remotely tackle that until I was well into adulthood. We can teach our children between differences in political opinions and morality. They should be respectful towards someone who disagrees with their stance about net neutrality and government spending. But conversations about justifying Black lives being senselessly lost and the rights of the LGBTQ community being trambled on shouldn't be classified as political stances that deserve respect. Every human is deserving of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in this country and the conversations pushing against that idea are un-American and immoral.