Divided government

Divided government is when different groups of grown-ups who work for the government can't agree on what to do. It's like when your mom wants you to clean your room, but your dad says it's okay to leave it messy. They both have different ideas about what to do, and they can't come to an agreement.

In the government, there are two main groups who do things: the people who make the laws (called the Legislature) and the person who runs the country (called the President or the Executive branch). When different groups of people are in charge of these two things, and they don't agree on what to do, that's called divided government.

For example, let's pretend that the people in charge of the Legislature say they want to spend a lot of money on building new schools for kids. But, the person in charge of the Executive branch (the President) doesn't think the government should spend so much money on schools. They might disagree on what to do, and can't work together to get things done.

When this happens, it can be hard for everyone to get anything done, just like it's hard for you to make your bed if your parents can't agree on whether or not it needs to be made. But, just like your parents, the people in charge of the government can talk to each other and try to find a way to compromise, so that everyone is happy -- just like if your mom and dad decided that you just need to make your bed on the weekends.