What To Tell Your Kids About Memorial Day
Simple: how men and women fought for our freedoms
I’m a firm believer that it’s never too early to start communicating with your children about life. My seven-month-old woke up this morning and while I was changing her diaper, I explained that today is Memorial Day and why it’s important…
I told her that ‘Memorial Day is a day where we remember and celebrate men and women who fought for our freedoms.’ She smiled (I’m not sure if she can understand a word I’m saying). I went on hoping not to crush her smile saying that ‘they died for our freedoms.’ I looked at her intently to see if her smile faded but it did not. ‘Freedom is something we still continue to fight for but in the right way.’
Today we might eat some hot dogs and watch my favorite war movie, Pearl Harbor, only if it’s free of course. Mommy and Daddy are on a budget. Hacksaw Ridge is a close second that I know is free on HBO Max — shout out to AT&T for the free account!
In the United States, we are fortunate to not walk out of our doors and wonder if a bomb will hit us. We have so much to be thankful for especially with our freedom of choices in how we live our lives. So that is sort of my justification for wanting her to understand what war is and why we are so thankful for our freedoms here.
On this Memorial Day, I hope you can have a shared meal with family and/or friends and remember the sacrifices that have been made so we can enjoy our lives today. While you’re at it, you could share what Memorial Day means to you with your loved ones and children if you choose to do so.
