For one thing, it reinforces misguided notions about the kinds of presidents we ought to choose. Imagine an incorruptible, über-competent governor with great leadership skills who curses and cheats shamelessly on his wife, pitted in a general election against a less-competent man whose personal morals are unimpeachable. The country is arguably better off sending the former man to execute its laws, command its army, and appoint its judges. But lots of voters are going to opt, defensibly enough, for the latter man if the presidency is presumed to confer status as a moral role model, including chats with kids meant to influence their life choices.

A president might eschew the role of Father Figure in Chief, instead addressing schoolchildren about his constitutional duties. I’d go as far as to say that an “inside the Oval Office” civics lecture wouldn’t be a total waste of time.

But it would be creepy if the president wound up using kids as props, or tried to influence the political opinions of children too young to adequately weigh all relevant information. Since the presidency is such an inherently politicized office, I find it impossible to imagine successive presidents regularly addressing schoolchildren without these ills creeping into some interactions.