Jenny Tananbaum

Listen up, fellow Republican moms, it's time to say enough is enough. It was time even before Donald Trump’s vulgar boasts about what he could do to women because of his status, before a parade of women accused him of actions matching those words. No mother should ever vote for this man.

Don't get me wrong. I do get your initial hesitancy. You disagree with much of the Democratic platform. And you probably aren’t too fond of Hillary Clinton. Fine. I don’t love her politics much either, but, come on now. It’s time to wise up.

I have stood with the Republican Party since my first election back in 1984, when I pulled the lever for the original "Make America Great Again" candidate, Ronald Reagan. I am the daughter of a longtime Republican, a man who worked under George W. Bush, was fired by President Obama, and was a passionate, respectful advocate for conservative views until his death in June.

But this is now the party of Donald Trump, and I can tell you for this card-carrying, die-hard Republican, this time around it’s got nothing to do with platforms and politics. I am a mom of three children, a son who is 16 and two daughters ages 13 and 11. And I know there is no wall that will protect my kids from a man hellbent on destroying the common core of human decency.

Think about it. From the moment they are born, we teach our children how to act. We demonstrate through our words and our actions how to speak with respect, embrace kindness, work for change with a humble and open heart. Then along comes Trump and the Republicans who so sheepishly stand behind their candidate simply because he is a Republican. Almost overnight, they have legitimized a cesspool of hypocrisy and hatred.

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These are the facts: If we let Trump become president, we are saying to our children that respect for others doesn’t matter. We are saying to our daughters that it is OK when a man belittles a woman based on her gender or her body type, and that your value is solely based on your looks.

We are saying to our children that money is power and power is a license to bully, to “punch him in the face” just because he may disagree. And we are saying to all our children, forget everything we have ever taught you — forget that compassion and morals matter, forget that our differences are what make our country great, forget the need to stand up for what is right.

If we elect Trump, we are telling our kids that it’s OK to be a narcissistic, antagonistic, egotistical SOB and that there are no rules if your tongue is sharp enough and your pocket is deep enough. And by blindly supporting a nominee just because he has the stamp of approval from your party, we are saying to our children, just stand in line, join the masses, do what’s expected. Because in the end, there is nothing you can do, so why bother caring?

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Except I do care. And I will never accept a candidate who uses power and words to intimidate rather than to protect. Instead, I will teach my children to always be willing to stand up because idle threats are but a shield for insecurity and incompetence. I will never allow a man to condemn an entire community simply because of a skin color, gender or faith; instead, I will remind my children that we are all the same on the inside.

I will never accept a man who shouts insults from his pedestal, and I see no need to support his statements. Instead, I will require my children to speak intelligently, to always back up their arguments with real evidence, and to listen and engage with respect. I will never support a man who seemingly believes women are mere sex objects and says, "When you're a star they let you do it." And I will never vote for a person who believes that “I alone can fix it.” Instead, I will help my children look for what they can do together to make a difference, because it does take a village.

I am a Republican. But I am also a mom. And as I watch Donald Trump and the Republican Party this election year, I cannot allow the destructiveness of his words and lessons to take root within my children. I may be a Party girl, but I sure as hell am not an idiot. So I say to all my fellow Republican moms: I am jumping ship, and for the sake of our kids, I hope you do too.

Jenny Tananbaum is a New Jersey-based mom, writer and community volunteer.

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