Boys will be boys. Kids will be kids.

These are the kinds of statements you often hear from parents.

Sometimes they are faintly amused at the actions of their children, squabbling over who is next on the slide at the playground. Sometimes they are blushing in embarrassment, aware of their children’s bad behavior.

Sometimes it is defensive, dismissing criticism as meaningless. After all, kids will be kids.

But where do we draw the line between childish behavior and adult responsibility?

This month saw Telegram chats — messages sent on a cloud-based social media app — from Young Republican leaders in several states leaked, showing shocking conversations.

There was racism: “I’d go to the zoo if I wanted to watch monkey play ball.” There was misogyny and homophobia. There was antisemitism and a kind of fawning Nazi support: “I love Hitler.” Then there is the way all of it was married to violence.

“Boom — they’re dead.”

“I’m ready to watch people burn now.”

But as disturbing as the messages are — and the variety of laughing, heart and fire emojis responding to them — there is something worse. That’s the dismissal of them by those who should be holding their people to account and acting as an example.

“The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys. They tell edging offensive jokes, like, that’s what kids do,” Vice President JD Vance said on “The Charlie Kirk Show” last week.

Vance’s takeaway seemed to be the importance of cautioning his own children to be careful what they post online as “some scumbag” could share it.

Vance’s children are 8, 5 and 2. The Young Republicans is a national organization with state chapters like those whose members and leaders participated in the chats. The organization is open to members of the GOP between the ages of 18 and 40. The chat included Vermont state Sen. Sam Douglass, 27, who has since resigned his seat.

Meanwhile, on the left, there are other Nazi-related issues to address. Graham Platner is a Democrat candidate hoping to unseat five-term Senate veteran Susan Collins. That primary isn’t until June, so he has almost eight months to try to mitigate his youthful indiscretions.

Those efforts included having a tattoo inked over. Platner, 41, says he was in his 20s when he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007. He was in the Marine Corps, on leave in Croatia and drinking. He claims he did not know until recently that the design was connected to the Nazi SS.

That might be easier to accept if Platner wasn’t also dragging the weight of problematic internet comments, including those that include — like the Young Republicans chat — misogyny, racism and more.

These are reasons why we need to do more than just hold candidates to a high standard. The people we elect shouldn’t just perform well in a focus group.

We need to model behavior from the top down — and I can’t believe I have to say this, but clearly we have to spell out that Nazis were the bad guys in World War II. I’m pretty sure there are some movies out there to help with this message. I’d recommend anything with Indiana Jones.

But we also have to start holding our kids accountable at a younger age. We have to stop defending them for wrongs they have done and allowing them to face consequences.

“Kids will be kids” stops applying to you when you are old enough to run for office.

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