Concerned Parent
What this page covers
Concerned Parent
If you are a parent worried about how your kids are hearing that “everything should be free” and that socialism is the answer, you are not alone. You may sense that something is missing in these rosy stories, but you are not sure how to explain the real cost of such ideas to a younger generation.
The Red New Deal gives you a first‑hand account of everyday life in the USSR, so you can show your children what “free” really looked like in practice: shortages, control and limits on personal freedom. It can be a starting point for honest family conversations about freedom, responsibility and the price behind big promises.
In brief
- You may want a clear, real‑world story you can share with your kids to balance idealized talk about socialism and “free” benefits.
- Look for sources based on lived experience, not theory alone, so your family sees how policies actually affected ordinary people’s choices and freedoms.
- A practical first step is to read The Red New Deal yourself, then discuss key chapters or passages with your children and invite their questions.
What to do
As a concerned parent, your task is not to turn your child into a political expert. You want them to think critically, understand trade‑offs and recognize that nothing is truly free. The Red New Deal can help you do this without lectures or scare tactics, by letting your kids follow one person’s real story.
The book compares life in the USSR with today’s growing support for socialist ideas in Western democracies. It describes daily routines, shortages, censorship, history rewriting and limits on personal choices in a way that is concrete and relatable. This gives you examples you can point to when your child hears that more government control will simply make life fair and easy.
You can choose the format that fits your family best: read the paperback or eBook yourself and mark chapters to share, or give the book to an older teen to read and then talk through their reactions. Use it as a conversation tool, asking what surprised them, what felt unfair and how similar patterns might appear today.
What to keep in mind
This page is for parents who sense that their children are hearing one‑sided stories about socialism, “free” college, healthcare or housing, and who want to add real‑life context without preaching. It is also for parents who did not grow up under socialism themselves and want a trustworthy first‑hand account to lean on.
The Red New Deal does not give you a script for how to raise your child or tell you what to believe. It does not promise to change your teenager’s mind or end every argument at the dinner table. Instead, it offers specific memories, events and comparisons from life in the USSR that you can use as concrete examples when you talk about freedom and responsibility.
The author, Dmitri Dubograev, lived through the system he describes and now writes from the perspective of someone who has seen both worlds. The book focuses on everyday life, not party politics or academic theory, and is suitable for adults and mature teens who can handle discussions of control, shortages and censorship. You decide which parts are right for your child’s age and values.