To many American's, the constitution of the United States is
revered as important as the 10 Commandments are to religious
believers. But living in a day and age where children are no longer
allowed to stand and offer the pledge or allegiance before starting
a school day, it is even more significant that parents teach their
children patriotism in the home.

Growing up our family enjoyed attending the local Independence
Day parade or carnival at the city park. We often had a BBQ
complete with red, white and blue Jell-O salad and lit sparklers on
the front lawn before the fire-works started. Those memories were
wonderful traditions I continue in my own family but they did not
teach me patriotism and will not teach my children respect for their
country.

Dr. Linda Karges-Bone has a national radio show on Family Radio
Network called "Prayerful Parenting", she suggests that, "Too often
we blame the schools and the media for our children's lack of
patriotic values and everything else, but you and I know….it is
what we do at home that has the most impact."

There are many opportunities where parents can teach patriotism.
Take your child inside the voting booth with you and explain the
process, don't be surprised if they want to use voting to settle
disputes are home though! Here are some other ways to make
patriotism a fun family experience:

Justice For All
Sit in on an hour of your cities Justice Court, afterwards discuss
what happened with the kids and discuss if the ruling was fair
and just. Taking a tour of the capital building can also be
enjoyable or settle a family dispute with a court trial of your
own assigning each family member to be the prosecutor, defender,
judge and jury.

Current Events Debate
Have an evening to discuss current events of interest to the kids,
let them form their own opinions and help them write a letter
to the editor of your local newspaper, school paper or hold
a friendly family debate. Teenagers and adults could write to
their local congressman or senator.

Anarchy & Tyranny Day
Learn about the importance of having rules by allowing the family
to have a day of Anarchy...no rules and anything goes. If your
children are old enough to understand the concept have a day
of Tyranny as well. During this day unfair punishments are the
name of the game. My daughters 3rd grade classroom found
this a fun learning experience and it helped them appreciate
rules and regulations.

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