Across the US, many high school classes are walking out in protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). So it was only a matter of time until some of the parents started raising concerns. One mother from Washington even had to intercept her own son while he was walking out and joining a protest, and the parent had to threaten her own kid with police intervention.
Instagram user miss_squatch posted the interaction with her son in early February. In the video, you can hear her saying, “My kid thinks he wants to skip school to protest, just wait for this nonsense.” Then the mother got out of the car and immediately started yelling at her son, “You’re not skipping school for this [expletive], get in the car right now,” though her son quickly retorted with “It’s my right.”
When her son wouldn’t obey, the Instagram user had to resort to a legal action, “I’ll call the police, they’ll come take you!” She reasoned that her son was skipping school. The son, however, clarified that, “I can’t get in trouble for this… it’s in the school rules!” After that, the mother cut the video, and it’s not clear what happened to them afterward.
It’s not the first incident where a parent disagreed with their child or the school regarding participation in a political protest; one dad even became angry with the school administration over this issue. However, it appears leniency or tolerance for student walkouts in light of recent political events varies per school or per state, as other schools have sent their students to detention for joining an anti-ICE protest or walkout.
People online think the two need better bonding
Of course, the issue was rather divisive, and many commenters are torn on the matter. Because on one hand, protests are students’ rights as per the First Amendment. On the other hand, there’s an alarmingly growing number of adult MAGA supporters literally picking fights with protesting kids and teenagers, so parental concern is understandable. The way the Instagram user above mocked the kid’s reason for protesting, however, calling it “nonsense,” has drawn criticisms from many commenters.
“These kids have a better head on their shoulders than the adults around them do,” argues one Instagram commenter, with another even going as far as accusing the mother, “The mom is a trump supporter.” It’s not clear whether the mother supports Trump or not, for the record, as the mom also claims, “I’m not mad he’s protesting, I’m mad because he has horrible grades.”
An alleged teacher chimed in on the matter, however, saying, “I get it that he needs to listen to his parents, I’m just saying this is one of those times where this really does matter.” Some commenters believed that the mom should accompany his son, “Maybe you should join your son. Show support. Discuss what’s happening. Discuss his feelings. THAT will be the bigger lesson for BOTH of you,” though that might not be possible for a busy adult.
