When I was a kid, I took to heart something my grandmother told me. She said, “I’m not interested in teaching you what to think, but how to think.” The critical thinking skills she inspired me to cultivate have served me well in every facet of my life and I cannot imagine how dull my marriage, career and friendships would be without them. However, it seems in our current media culture, critical thinking skills and the curiosity needed to acquire them, are given little to no value anymore. To that point, some of our friends are aghast that my husband and I won’t tell our children how we vote, and that we let them sample from all varieties of thought without editorializing. They feel that somehow our kids could be poisoned by the “wrong” side because of our “free-range” thought parenting. Who knows? Maybe they’re right? But so far, we’ve only seen evidence that they’re becoming thoughtful, informed individuals — and when they do form opinions, they sure as hell can defend them without resorting to name calling, shaming, and other tactics from the “I know you are, but what am I?” school of debate.