One Small Step: Sheriff and nonprofit leader discuss parenting amid political backdrop

September 9, 2026 - 03:33

Matt Carr and Stefani Wells have little in common when it comes to their political views. Carr is a county sheriff known for tough-on-crime stances. Wells runs a local nonprofit focused on youth outreach and restorative justice. But sitting down together recently, they found common ground in an unlikely place: their childhood memories of politics and how those moments now guide their own parenting.

Carr remembers sitting at the dinner table as a kid while his father argued about property taxes with a neighbor. He says what stuck with him was not the anger, but the idea that people could disagree and still share a meal afterward. That lesson, he says, is what he tries to teach his own children when they hear loud political talk at school or online.

Wells grew up in a household where volunteering was a given. Her mother dragged her to voter registration drives and food bank shifts. At the time, she found it boring. Now, she sees it as the foundation of her belief that change starts small and local. She wants her kids to understand that politics is not just about elections, but about showing up for neighbors.

Both admit that the current climate makes parenting harder. Carr says he has to remind his kids that not every argument is a fight. Wells says she has to fight the urge to shield her children from news that frightens them. Instead, she tries to watch the news with them and ask questions rather than give answers.

The two leaders do not agree on much policy. But they both agree that children learn more from how adults handle disagreement than from what they say. Carr and Wells left the conversation with a plan to bring their families together for a joint community cleanup next month. No politics required, just shovels and conversation.