The Importance Of Teaching Patriotism Today
Lately, I’ve been watching a documentary about soccer—and one thing that struck me was the overwhelming display of patriotism from the fans. Their love for their country and team runs deep, and it shows in every chant, cheer, and flag waved.
It got me thinking… what about us here in the United States? Why does it seem like the passion and pride we once had for our country has faded? We live in one of the greatest nations in the world—so what’s happened to that shared sense of love and loyalty for our homeland?
Patriotism is one of the threads that weaves us together as a nation. I won’t dive into all the reasons why I believe that’s true—at least not in this post. What I do want to focus on is this: how moms and dads can play a powerful role in reviving a love for our country, starting right inside their own homes.
Live & Teach Patriotism
Let me start by saying that I’ll be the first to admit that there were years when I took my country for granted: the freedom, the values, the security, and the safety.
But I’ve made a shift over the past few years. I’ve woken up and no longer want to take my freedom for granted.
Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved my country and would consider myself patriotic. I often tear up during the national anthem if that is any indication.
But I could have spent more time celebrating our freedom, talking about it with my children, and displaying a little more passion along the way.
Let’s teach our children about the greatness of this country. Let’s educate them on the past, on how we were founded, and how to care about the future. We can no longer be complacent and let our patriotism decline.
Patriotism: Independence Day
The founding fathers of America broke away from England to seek life, liberty, and happiness. Because of their wisdom, love of God and country, and the foresight to create a government system that promotes and is built on democracy, we attained freedom, and we live free in America.
We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to pursue happiness. This is a blessing!
To teach our children about patriotism is to instill a sense of identity, pride, and belonging. I want my children to have pride in their country, pride in the Christian principles our country was founded on, and pride in the freedom it offers us.
When I think of the qualities of a good person, I think of things like loving others well, showing respect to everyone, being a hard worker, and being kind.
If your child has love and respect for you and their family, and you teach them the blessings of living in a free country like America, they will take pride in those things too. Pass on your passion by living it and talking about it.
A passionate world is a better world in my opinion. We have become complacent. We’ve lost passion as a whole. I don’t want to be complacent. Do you? I don’t want our country to be complacent. Do you? I don’t want our children to be complacent. Do you?
Let’s fix that!
Patriotism: Honor Independence Day
The Facts
Date: July 4th is known as Independence Day in the United States. It is celebrated to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and announced that the colonies were now thirteen independent sovereign states no longer under British rule. This was the birth of America!
Independence Day is a day to celebrate our freedoms and honor the principles of liberty and democracy that our nation was founded on.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.“
What a beautiful statement.
All men are created equal! Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.“
They are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights-Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I want to emphasize the importance of celebrating this day with your family. And by celebrating, I don’t merely mean with hot dogs and fireworks.
I recommend bringing out a few flags a couple of weeks before July 4th and starting to remind your children about the significance, meaning, and importance of Independence Day.
You can find all kinds of videos about patriotism and the history of the United States at Prageru.com. This Prager U video, in particular, is all about why it is important to be patriotic and what it means for the future of our country.
Patriotism: The American Flag
Let’s talk about our flag. Did you know there are rules about handling the American flag? We must know how to honor our flag. Not only should we know it, but we need to pass it on to our children.
Here are a few interesting facts regarding the American flag.
Description of the American Flag: Thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; also known as Old Glory.
How To Honor The Flag
- Position of the flag-when displayed horizontally or vertically, the union (blue & white) should be located at the top and to the flag’s right, observers’ left.
- The flag should never touch anything beneath it.
- The flag should be displayed on all days, especially on national and state holidays.
- The flag should be displayed during daylight hours, and if displayed at night, it should be illuminated. ( I didn’t know this). This is something I will need to address at my own home.
- When a flag is torn or at the end of its life, it should be destroyed in a dignified way. Did you know that you can drop old flags off at the post office, and they will dispose of them correctly?
The Folding Of The American Flag
Watch this video How To Take Care Of The American Flag and learn more about the importance of our flag and how to care for it.
Patriotism: Honor Those Who Serve
Let’s talk first about respect in general. Respect is losing its value in our country. I’ve spoken about respect so much on my blog. You can find posts here: The Importance of Teaching Respect at Home
We taught our children to respect us (their parents), elders, government, policemen, firemen, medical professionals, etc. If you know me, you know that teaching respect and parents requiring it from their children is vital to the success of our families.
We need to bring respect back to the forefront and re-establish it as a foundational principle of good parenting. We need to start to expect it and teach it again.
It is important now more than ever. Our future depends on it. The future of our country, but more importantly, the future of the institution of the family.
The people of this country who put their lives on the line for us deserve our utmost respect. No one taught me that growing up. I was respectful, but didn’t know how to show it when I encountered a person in uniform. I’ll start there because it is important to teach this to our children.
Proper Etiquette When Greeting Military
Refer to them as sir or ma’am. Say, “Thank you for your service, sir/ma’am,” or “I appreciate your service”. Be sure to model that for your children. In other words, lead by example.
You can offer to buy their coffee or pay for their meal. Or perhaps offer up your seat if it is appropriate. If there is not time to address them fully say “Hello” or “Good Morning” to show respect.
Don’t be shy about it. Just do it. Shake their hand if appropriate and teach your children to look them in the eye. Looking someone in the eye while talking to them is a sign of respect and something we should teach our children, no matter the circumstance.
Find ways to show them your appreciation for their dedication and service. Because of them, you are safe and free to live your life.
Mama, do your best to talk about this in your home so that your children are prepared when they see a serviceman or servicewoman. These men and women have sacrificed time with their family and friends for you and your family.
They give up their selfish desires to fight for us. And in many cases, they have even given up their lives. I’m so impressed and amazed at their willingness to do this.
Patriotism: Honor Our National Anthem
I’m gonna be honest, for the longest time, when I was younger, I wasn’t certain what the correct etiquette was while singing the Star Spangled Banner. I knew I was supposed to stand, but other than that, I always found myself nonchalantly looking around to see what others were doing.
It always confused me because some people had their hands on their hearts, and some didn’t. Some people were singing, and some people weren’t. Why didn’t we all do the same thing?
National Anthem Etiquette
Let’s outline the proper etiquette while singing the National Anthem. I pray this helps as you guide and lead your children in this important part of respecting our country and displaying patriotism.
- Face the flag if there is one. Face the music if you can’t see the flag or there isn’t one.
- Men and boys should remove their hats and hold them with their right hand at the left shoulder with their hand over their heart.
- Women and girls should place their hands over their hearts.
- Those in military service, active and veterans, should salute from beginning to end.
- There should always be a respectful silence, no talking, laughing, or moving around.
- Sing along proudly and respectfully.
Patriotism Conclusion
Now you know, Mamas! I implore you to make this a priority in your homes as you raise good humans who love God, love you, and love their country.
When we have pride in something, we tend to be willing to stand up for it and fight for it. Let’s stand up for the USA and let’s be proud to be an American!! Thank you, Lee Greenwood.
Our country needs good leaders who are respectful, God-loving men and women. I pray your child will be one of them in the future. But don’t forget to lead by example!
If you are looking for more on patriotism, you can check out a more recent blog post about this topic: Freedom Isn’t Free: Let’s Celebrate Independence Day
Much Love, 🇺🇸
Kim
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