Matt McCain hasn’t felt the same about a close friend after reading what she posted about the Women’s March in D.C. two months ago. They used to talk about everything, and he had been a groomsman in her wedding five years ago.

McCain, who grew up in a small town in Texas but now lives in Austin, said he wasn’t upset by her political position, but rather by how she expressed it. He was surprised at how naive and closed-minded she came across. He hasn’t made an effort to see her since, doesn’t talk to her as much and feels uneasy toward her.

Many of us have had similar experiences lately. Part of the discomfort stems from being surprised by the views of someone we thought we knew well, or the disconcerting realization that your values differ radically from someone you care about.

We may have hoped that the country would be moving past the fractious politics that divided us so bitterly during the campaign. Instead, the wounds of this past election keep getting ripped open. President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has dropped to 37 percent, his worst since taking office two months ago, and 58 percent of Americans disapprove of his performance so far, according to a recent Gallup poll. His controversial proposals -- from the travel bans to repealing the Affordable Care Act to a budget that slashes funding for popular programs -- has elicited strong reactions. Sharing those reactions on social media has become one way for people to deal with unprecedented political circumstances.

As the environment gets more charged, it continues to test friendships and other relationships.

A friend recently asked a question on Facebook after seeing an offensive post from an acquaintance: When it comes to your friends’ beliefs, “is it better not to know?” She said she had previously tried challenging this casual friend’s misinformation, but gave up trying to talk to her after the latest post.

”I do miss the days when racists weren’t emboldened to express these views aloud,” she said.

McCain said even though one of his closest friendships has been tarnished, he would rather know what people in his life really think.

Those who are outliers in a politically homogenous family, neighborhood or city may opt to stay quiet about their views. But divisions can be extra painful in the most intimate relationships: spouses, parents and close friends.

These are not people you can mute, unfollow or de-friend with the click of a button.

In relationships that can’t be easily severed, many people deal with differences with good ol’ fashioned avoidance. This is the preferred approach in many families: Steer clear of any topics likely to create tension or conflict. But some who successfully used the avoidance strategy during the contentious campaign season say the tension has only been building since Election Day. One woman said she has avoided asking her husband of 30 years who he voted for. But his unwillingness to be critical of anything Trump has said or done has pushed her to the brink emotionally.

“There have never been two things harder to reconcile, ever,” she said. “This man I love, and this man I loathe. And both such a part of my daily life.”

Rachel D’Souza-Siebert of St. Louis says it’s important for her to know her close friends’ political beliefs in order to have authentic relationships. She describes herself as a liberal and has friends who are politically conservative.

“On some issues we agree and on some we don’t, but at the end of the day we respect each other,” she said. “That being said, I have had some friendships and relationships end over politics, and I’m OK with that.”

Kandi Gregory of St. Louis describes herself as a very conservative Christian, and has unfollowed some of her Facebook friends. But one of her closest friends in real life is a “very liberal Jewish lady.” She says they have had many discussions on issues ranging from abortion to religion.

“I think by listening to each other, it has opened me up to different things,” she said.

The keys to maintaining a relationship despite fundamental differences? Respect and a willingness to hear the other point of view.

Whether a person decides to confront, avoid or completely disengage from loved ones with different views, everyone who responded to the Facebook query -- about whether it’s better to know -- said that it was.

Maybe it’s best that some relationships fall apart when tested, because the foundation wasn’t as strong as we’d imagined.

Or perhaps being aware of the minefields helps us avoid explosions.

When Isabella Blanchard designed her bedroom, she carefully considered the look she wanted to create before finalizing the drapery, bedding and paint colors.

She was 7.

“I let her pick out everything -- the wall color, the bedspread,” said her mom, Kris Blanchard of St. Louis. The finished project features purple walls, pink glittery curtains and a gauzy princess canopy hanging from the ceiling.

“I didn’t have so much say at that age,” Blanchard said. But like many other modern parents, Blanchard has embraced the idea that a child’s room is his or her space, and should express the kid’s individual style.

When today’s parents were kids, the design liberties they were allowed were often limited to picking the posters they wanted to hang on their bedroom walls. And even those had to meet certain criteria of tastefulness, in some homes. But this generation is growing up curating and exploring their aesthetic in a digital world saturated with images.

The most popular social media sites for young people -- Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat -- trade in visuals. Tweens can create Pinterest boards that hone what appeals to them visually. Businesses way beyond Pottery Barn Kids have recognized this market. There are designers who cater to guiding younger clients, empowered by their parents’ pocketbooks.

Walmart offers a $15 “Design Your Dream Room” kit that allows kids to “decorate the room of your dreams” with an interior design portfolio. Different activity sections let the child experiment with patterns, colors and layout.

There’s even a new party-concept store in a St. Louis-area mall, called My Room Rocks, that gives customers a box to decorate as a room -- sort of a design diorama.

Isabella, now 8, recently celebrated her birthday there with a group of girls, creating elaborate models of rooms complete with miniature furniture, wallpaper, valances and bedding. She decided to go with a modern black and white theme in this room, including a “Star Wars” bedspread and accents of purple, her favorite color.

Mary Sittler, creator and owner of the store, says she remembered how her own now-grown daughters would customize and build rooms for their dolls. She sees the store as another form of creative expression for children. There is an entire wall with more than 50 different fabric options for bedding, pillows and window treatments to customize each cardboard box “room.” The store hosts lots of birthday parties, but boys and girls also drop in to create individual projects.

Not everyone is sold on the idea that young children should have complete artistic control over their bedrooms before they’ve mastered making their beds. The Wall Street Journal ran a pro and con piece on the question of whether parents should allow kids to design their own rooms.

Proponents argue that it gives children a sense of ownership and imparts a sense of security. It’s best if parents provide a few pre-approved choices from which a child can choose. On the other side, designers cautioned parents that children can be “capricious, which can lead to overspending and truly bad decor.”

In the case of the Blanchards, everyone was pleased with the final product. Isabella’s mother ordered the furniture, while Isabella chose the colors and accessories. Isabella originally wanted a princess-themed room, but her mother wanted something that could last longer than a passing interest in fairy-tale royalty. And if she does tire of the purple walls, luckily paint is a fairly inexpensive change for do-it-yourselfers.

Now, Isabella has her eye on an unfinished attic in the house she would like to convert into a craft or play room one day.

“I’ve been thinking about stuff,” she said. “Pink and purple and a big glass chandelier.”

Before she takes on her next design project, however, she needs to graduate second grade.

Nothing could ever drag me back into a middle-school classroom. Or so I thought, until my daughter’s English teacher made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

She asked if I would talk to her classes before they started a unit on investigative journalism. Given that the finest reporters in the country have been pilloried by the holder of the highest office in the land, I figured I could brave a day in the hormonal jungle that is middle school.

Today’s children may seem media-savvy, but less than half say they can tell real news from fake news, according to a new study released by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that advocates for safe technology and media for kids. The report found that a third of tweens and teens who shared a story online in the last six months later discovered the story was wrong or inaccurate.

I figured it was part of my civic duty to explain how a free press works to a generation that prefers to get its news from YouTube and social media.

I came up with a lesson plan that I shared with the teacher beforehand. First, we would discuss the First Amendment. Then we would talk about the different types of stories in the media, the various sources of news and what investigative journalism aims to do. I would tell them about investigations that have impacted communities, and ones that have changed the entire country. We would look at Pulitzer-winning investigative reports, and historic ones.

I would also share investigative projects my newspaper has tackled and how we did them. We would explore the ways in which reporters can gather facts, and the tension between those who search for information and those who don’t want it made public.

I asked the teachers to have students brainstorm their own ideas that they would like to report and write about, so we could discuss how they could be investigated. I made sure my lesson had some multimedia elements, and invited the principal to stop by and observe.

I’ll admit that I also armed myself with a significant amount of candy, and told each class that any student who answered or asked a question would get a piece. (A cheap trick, and I apologize to the teachers who had to deal with the students afterward.)

I taught this lesson six times to groups of 40 students in each section. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, my throat was sore, and I had given out nearly an entire 20-pound bag of candy. I was impressed by the students’ interest, and it only deepened my admiration for teachers.

A few days later, I received a large mailer stuffed with more than a hundred notes -- thank-you notes from the students, written on index cards and construction paper. The notes included what the child learned from the talk. Many students wrote that they hadn’t realized that investigative journalism could be dangerous, and that reporters often receive hate mail and pushback for what they write. Other comments:

“Now I know what a reporter is.” “I learned a lot of new things about how to gather information on public files.” “I’m taking journalism in high school, and I wasn’t that excited about it, but now I am! Can’t wait for that class.” “Who knows -- you may have possibly inspired a future journalist.” (Yikes. That comment was from my daughter, and I read it like a warning.)

“It’s sad that print is dead,” shared one student. Another drew a big heart with an arrow through it, adding a disclaimer at the bottom: “This is not a Valentine. I admire how you don’t let the hate get to you.”

Others shared their favorite parts of the discussion:

“It gave me new insight on the steps reporters take to write a story and how they’re viewed by the public. My favorite part was when you explained the impact of journalism on real world issues.”

“My favorite thing you said was that reporters helped bring bad things to light.”

“My favorite thing you said was you’ve been a journalist for 20 years, and that’s a record to me, because most people quit because people say mean things.”

“My favorite thing you said was that investigative journalists don’t do it for the money, they do it for the truth.”

More than a handful of kids kept it real, writing: “My favorite thing you said was ‘Whoever answers a question gets candy.’”

A lesson in truth-telling for all of us.