I don’t get political here on my blog.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have very strong opinions about the state of our country and our government.  And the children are privy to these strong opinions. And while I think that there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed in America, I also still think that we happen to live in the greatest country in the world.  And I want the children to feel the same way.

So Jim an I have made sure that the children are taught to:

Respect our soldiers.  They regularly risk (and many have sacrificed) their lives for our freedom.  When we are at a parade, if members of the military are involved, we stand up and applaud them.  If we are out and about and come across military personnel in uniform, the children are encouraged to approach them and simply say, “Thank you for serving.” 

Honor our flag.  Our flag is a symbol of our country and it deserves to be treated properly.  The children are taught the rules on how to properly hang the flag and how to treat the American flag (e.g. not let it touch the ground).

Pray for our leaders.  Even if we didn’t personally vote for a government official, he or she is a part of the leadership of our country and needs prayer for wisdom.  We can respect the position even if we don’t agree with the person.  We also pray for elections.

Respect the National Anthem.  When our National Anthem plays,  the children have learned that you stop what you are doing, you stand up, you remove your hat (if wearing one), you face the flag, and you sing along.  No matter what anyone else is doing.

Honor our United States Documents.  Our children have an American duty to be familiar with The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and The Constitutional Amendments.  These documents are the backbone of our country and our patriotic beliefs.

We also do a lot of learning and talking about American History.  We love to discuss the Pilgrims.  Jim and the children are direct ancestors of 15 people who sailed on the Mayflower, so this is fascinating for them.  We also discuss both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars quite regularly and the effects that they had on the lives we live today.

Jim and I recently watched the movie Lincoln with Daniel Day-Lewis playing the starring role.  I did a little bit of research afterwards and the movie apparently is fairly factual.  I was shocked at the political manipulations that went on to get slavery abolished.  I always believed that “politics” was a much more recent phenomenon.  But apparently that isn’t true.  Our country has always held varying beliefs and always had to struggle to reach common ground. 

I want the children to understand that despite our struggles and our problems, America is still a great country made up of individuals who are doing what they think is right.   I teach the children to be proud to be Americans and to know that it is their duty to make themselves the best American citizens they can be.

And singing always helps!