Not Sure How to Discuss Politics With Your Kids? Try Kerry Washington's Approach

Educating your young children about politics may be a daunting task to navigate, but Kerry Washington has a worthy approach we can all learn from. The actress and mother of three made a virtual appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday evening and broke down exactly how she chooses to discuss politics and the election with her kids, Caleb, 4, Isabelle, 6, and her teenage stepdaughter from husband Nnamdi Asomugha's previous relationship.

"We do talk about bad guys and good guys," the star and activist said. "They know what superheroes are. In our house, superheroes are the people who vote and the people who work at the polls and the people who community organise and leave the world a better place." Heck yeah, we're all about that definition. She continued, "Bad guys are people who — I mean, I haven't been this specific with them, but — separate families and take away healthcare." For her, it all boils down to framing the conversations in a way that's informative yet "not scary."

Kerry herself absolutely falls into the superhero category — she and her husband have been travelling across the country to attend Biden-Harris campaign events the past few months leading up to the election, visiting battleground states like Michigan and North Carolina. When her kids asked why they're travelling so much, she explained to them, "We really want to go places to help people know how important their voice is and that they need to vote because the reason the person who's in the White House is there now is because not enough people voted." When her kids responded by asking why certain people didn't vote, she simply replied, "They didn't know how much they mattered."

So, now that the American people have cast their ballots, how is Kerry keeping calm while waiting for presidential election results to trickle in? "I think the most important thing we can do right now is be patient," she told Jimmy, adding that we should trust our local election officials. "Even when we feel like we might be nervous to have faith in the system, we can have faith in each other in holding those systems accountable. Stay calm, stay in community, don't believe everything you hear on the internet."