To all the American readers, Happy Independence Day!
The Interview
The other day I was watching the news and they had a short segment where they interviewed different people and asked them each the same question.
They only asked two age groups of people. The first was college-age “kids”, and the second was the grandparent age of around 60-70 year old.
They interviewed the college kids first, and they asked them either individually or in small groups, but their answers were the same.
“Are you proud to be an American?”
Their answer was no.
When the interviewer asked them for their reason, they responded with different reasons, but ultimately it came down to that they didn’t agree with recent Supreme Court decisions and other government issues.
When the interviewer went to the older generation, their answers were, yes, they are proud to be Americans. They didn’t ask for their reasons unfortunately, but I would have been interested to hear them.
The Analysis
Why do you think there was such a difference between the generations? I’m sure there are laws and issues that the grandparents don’t agree with, but they are still proud to be Americans.
Why? I think the grandparents are still basing their American pride on topics deeper than laws and decisions.
I think that the grandparents have a deeper sense of what’s really important in our country. They realize how we are different from other countries, and they are not taking for granted the opportunities that are available here in the USA.
I also think that they realize the importance of men and women who have served in our branches of military and who have been impacted by war, either physically or emotionally.
They also realize and do not take for granted those who have given their lives so that we remain free.
I suppose that the younger generation has been shielded and sheltered from the realities of war, and they also do not understand the consequences of a communistic run government.
I believe too, that the younger generation does not realize the hardships that people face in poor and third-world countries. I think that if they truly understood the problems those people endure then they would be proud to be Americans.
The Immigrants
Let’s think for a minute about the people that are crossing the border, either legally or illegally. Even though they are not American citizens, do you think they are proud to be in America? I would think they are.
Why? Because, it’s the whole point of the American dream. The freedom they have to work at a job, where they want to work, make money, and do with it what they want.
The Intention
So, how can we teach our kids to be proud of our country, and be proud to be an American, even if they don’t agree with all of the laws and decisions being made?
I think we have to promote, encourage, and exemplify a personal quality of thankfulness. We have to thank God for the blessings that He gives us every day. We have to learn ourselves and teach others to not take anything for granted.
I think we also have to educate our children about the world outside of their social media news feeds. This includes American history as well as other countries’ cultures and governments.
To see ideas on how to teach patriotism, see my Homeschool Tips – The Letter P post.
Homeschooling Freedoms
With the many freedoms that we have here in America, let’s just refresh our memory and thank God for these freedoms we have concerning homeschooling.
- Freedom for parents to choose what’s best for their kids.
- Freedom to keep our kids out of government-run institutions.
- Freedom to teach our own beliefs to our children.
- Freedom to exercise those beliefs with our children.
- Freedom for parents to teach what we want to our kids.
- Freedom for parents to teach their children the way they want to.
- Freedom to not teach certain things to our children.
- Freedom to choose when to teach certain subjects and/or topics to our kids.
- Freedom to have our own schedules.
- Freedom for our kids to pursue their own interests.
- Freedom for our kids to serve and volunteer in their community.
- Freedom for our kids to be able to have their own small business and make money.
I pray we never lose our homeschooling freedoms. Our kids and country depend on it.
To see Homeschooling Advantages and the Basics of Homeschooling, just click on the appropriate title.
Did you miss any of last week’s Letter “E” posts? If you did, just click on the title below.
Megan from My Full Heart: Essentials for Preschool
Kristi from Bailey’s Homeschool Adventures: Extracurricular Activities Mega List
Laura McKinney Adams: Educating our Children, Educating Ourselves
Kristen from A Mom’s Quest to Teach: Engineering During the Civil War
Dawn from The Schoolin’ Swag: Letter E Activities and Printables
Dawn from The Schoolin’ Swag: E is for Ellie’s People
Homeschooling Highway: Homeschool Electives: The Ultimate List
Homeschooling Highway: Homeschooling Tips: The Letter E
I think it also depends on who is asked. My oldest and his friends are more conservative and proud to be American (even with all the problems in our country). They also know if they don’t like something, there are ways to go about changing things legally. And so many forget that they have the freedom in America to be disgruntled and make changes. In so many countries, they lack that freedom.
I agree, very well said, Kristen.
I have thought about this quite a bit lately. I do want my kids to be proud to be Americans, even if our country is not going in the right direction. It is forsaking God and all of his statutes and morality. But we do enjoy plenty of freedoms in this country that others do not – homeschooling being one!
You are so right. Thanks for commenting, Megan!