IT'S not easy explaining politics to a kid.

This, I found out, during the recently concluded General Election season, which marked my five-year-old son's political awakening.

"Mummy, why are there so many signs around our block with the same picture that is on my school uniform?" Julian asked me one day, pointing to the lightning bolt on his PE T-shirt.

Trying to think of a simple way to explain the electoral system, I said: "There's going to be a big competition, in which everyone in Singapore is going to help choose a winner."

I added: "The people competing are from groups called political parties."

Julian then asked, referring to a story from the Thomas the Tank Engine series: "Is it like the competition that Gordon joined, on who was the best dressed?"

I replied: "Um... yes, sort of. And the contestants are like Gordon, Percy and all the other engines in Tidmouth Sheds."

Over a long dinner, the Supportive Spouse and I explained to Julian how political parties worked.

In Politics 101 for kids, we introduced him to "the Government", which was made up of "people we chose to take care of Singapore, making sure we have homes to live in, jobs and workers to keep the roads clean and tidy".

Putting things so simply tested my understanding of the system. But it also demonstrated that the principle of it was logically sound, so that even a kid could grasp it.

We told Julian that Singaporeans were going to choose people for the government, from a pool of people who wanted to represent various parts of Singapore in the competition.

And we told him that the Government, since independence, has been made up of People's Action Party members, and they have set up towns, hospitals and schools - such as the kindergarten he attends.

We told him about opposition parties, and how they wanted to be voted into Parliament, so as to provide a different way of doing things.

Different parties believe in different things, we said, and have different things they want to do for the country. The boy wanted to know more. And more. Rather than give him black-and-white answers, we felt it was important to explain things so that he could make up his own mind.

We told him about how political parties would try to get voters to choose them, by promising them things. And the key was in deciding for yourself if the promises are what you want, and if the promising party is capable of delivering on them.

"If two people ask you to vote for them as your parents, and promise that they'll buy toys for you and not scold you, would you choose them?" I finally asked my son.

Julian shook his head: "No. I want you and Papa to be my parents. Because I love you."

And, just like that, my son summed up for me what it means to be a voter: to use your head, as well as your heart.

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