Raising Patriots – 7 Helpful Ideas
It’s easy to feel helpless.
With everything going on in this nation, it can be discouraging to say the least. Many people deeply desire to make a difference, but most wonder, What can I do?
The answer may surprise you.
The future of our country will be determined by what we do at home.
It is in the home, mamas, where character is established. Home is where the shaping of faith, virtue and patriotism takes place. These pillars of liberty are best anchored at home and women are the center of the home. What we teach and nurture at home truly becomes of the future of America.
Winston Churchill said, “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.”
1. Be Intentional
If you are a person of faith, you likely spend a good amount of time modeling your faith to your children – attending church, reading your Bible, and speaking about the things of God. You are intentional about raising them in that faith.
The same is true of patriotism. The best way to raise a patriot is to be intentional about raising patriots.
How can you do this?
Talk about why you feel the way you do about your country. Don’t just go out and vote—talk to your children about why you’re voting and what you’re voting for. Promote the ideas and principles of freedom and liberty in your home. (Need help getting started? Our Cottage Meeting classes are designed to build your confidence in defending and teaching the principles of liberty)
Instill those values in them from the beginning. It won’t be wasted time.
2. Honor the Dinner Hour
Ronald Reagan said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”
We couldn’t agree more. One thing you’ll learn in our Cottage Meetings is the power of the family dinner hour. This is a time when you connect with one another over a meal, share from the heart what is going on in each other’s lives, and discuss the core values of your family.
Studies show that families who eat together three times per week or more have stronger bonds and significantly reduce depression, anxiety, and the tendency to smoke, drink or try drugs among children and teens.
Founder and President of Moms for America, Kimberly Fletcher, will soon be releasing a revised version of her book Table Talk Sampler: 31 Days of Stories, Quotes, and Questions to Spark Conversation at the Dinner Table. Be sure to check back with our online store for this powerful resource!
As you pray over your meals, include a prayer for our nation, the healing of America, and for righteous leaders to be at the head. This will plant a seed in those little hearts that will last a lifetime and help you raise patriots.
In addition to sharing important conversations about your faith, take the time to make your children aware of stories of courageous and strong heroes in history – people they can emulate and aspire to be like in the area of patriotism.
In these consistent, small moments and activities that you anchor in your children a desire to live freely according to the values you are instilling.
3. Stay Anchored in Hope
The news is full of negativity and a biased narrative. You can raise patriots by helping your children stay anchored in hope no matter what is going on around them.
Help your children to focus on the victories to be had in our nation, not the grievances or atrocities that have occurred. Teach them to look to God for solutions, healing and guidance, not the government.
This will strengthen them and teach them to look through the lens of faith and patriotism at world events and bind your family together. When you have a strong family, you will have a strong society, which is the foundation of a strong nation!
4. Make Family Time a Priority
Beyond the dinner hour, make family time a priority. Take time to play board games, read them a story at night, and go on family outings. Something as simple as setting the table together or going on an evening walk will connect you with one another.
As you build a strong family foundation, the lessons you teach about faith and patriotism will fall on fertile soil and develop strong roots. In the time you have together, teach them to love liberty, to love God, and to love others.
5. Educate Yourself With the Truth
Most of us know we can’t rely on what we were taught in school!
How often have you discovered something only to think, I don’t remember learning that in school!
There is so much propaganda about our Founding Fathers that perpetuates lies and negative connotations about this country. You will become far more confident in raising patriots when you first educate yourself with the truth!
Our Cottage Meetings are a great place to start! And there are endless resources from a biblical or patriotic perspective that will help you build knowledge based on truth, not a rewritten history that eliminates so much truth from our nation’s history.
When mom understands the principles of our Constitution, she will teach them within the four walls of her home. Moms, we encourage you to begin with these 12 Introductory Cottage Meetings to get started in your journey to raising patriots. They are free, fun and informative classes in a supportive, encouraging environment. They will teach you how to master the principles of freedom and liberty to help you raise patriots who will go into the world and make a difference!
6. Commemorate Patriotic Holidays
Most of us celebrate the Fourth of July with a cookout or camping trip, but to raise patriots, work to commemorate all patriotic holidays including President’s Day, Constitution Day (September 17), Veterans Day, Memorial Day and so on.
Make these days when you decorate, eat special food and fly an American flag in your front yard. Take the time to discuss the importance and meaning of the day and teach your children the proper handling of the American Flag.
If the family has the day off from school or work, plan to visit patriotic sites, either locally or around the country. Seeing something in person has a much bigger impact than reading about it in a book!
7. Act On Your Beliefs
What speaks most to your children is when you act on what you teach them.
You’re a patriot. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be reading an article about how to raise them. Now, we’re challenging you to act on your beliefs. Here are a few suggestions:
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- Attend Cottage Meetings
- Attend a school board meeting
- Speak up at a school board meeting
- Run for office
- Support someone running for office
- Start a letter-writing campaign to a local official
- Get out the vote at your church
There are so many ways to act on what you believe. As you seek to raise patriots, God will put specific ideas on your heart to help you.
Moms and Grandmas, you are the heart of the home. You are the future of America. If you ever have one of those days when you wonder if you’re really making a difference in the lives of your children, remember the words of George Washington, who said, “All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” We believe your children will say the same of you.
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