Honoring Veterans at Home

Honoring Veterans at Home

Parents are faced with all kinds of complex tasks that go above and beyond providing for the material needs of their family. Giving children an appreciation of values like duty and service can be challenging for even the best-intentioned mother or father. Honoring veterans and active service members can also be a difficult undertaking, especially if the child does not have any immediate family members that they can look to as examples. Parents therefore have to come up with ways of honoring veterans in a manner that children can relate to.

Values for Every Generation

Every generation should have a healthy respect for the decision to serve our country. Understanding the sacrifice that every service member gives is an important part of recognizing the value of the things that these people worked hard to protect. Academic subjects such as history and civics become more immediately relevant to students who have been exposed to these topics through an appreciation of military service. Further, acknowledging the sacrifices made by veterans inspires people to advocate for veterans’ benefits and other support services that aid service members and their families. Parents will play a significant role in the cultivation of the values that inspire all this and much more.

Together as a Family

Attending parades and civic celebrations of patriotic holidays are one way to introduce children to the value of military service and the importance of the choice to serve. Any of these observances are likely to be family-friendly and will certainly offer the opportunity for discussion:

• Independence Day parades and firework displays
• Family Memorial Day cookouts
• Community Memorial Day observances and ceremonies
• Veterans Day parades and pageants
• Patriot Day civic celebrations and memorials

Though many of these observances are festive in character, emphasizing their serious history can help children empathize with the sacrifice that other people have made. Talking about the ways that entire families contributed to past and current war efforts may allow children to grasp the importance of community sacrifice, too.

If you have family members who are currently serving or served in various military conflicts of the past, make sure that their pictures are displayed in the home. If a picture is not available, creating a special collage or display of images related to the conflict they served in can still provide a helpful reminder of these important moments in history. Connecting with these distant events in a very personal way can help bring home the relevance and significance of military service.

Working Together to Help Others

Hearing stories of ancestors and seeing displays honoring bravery do not always strongly personalize the value of service and sacrifice. Many children respond positively to a hands-on approach to learning these important lessons. Look into volunteer opportunities during the holidays that can be done as a family. Put your effort behind a clothing drive for a local homeless shelter or prepare care packages to send to soldiers on active duty. Visit elderly relatives as a group or participate in service projects organized by your faith community.

There are lots of ways to bring home the values exemplified by veterans and active service members. Teaching your child to recognize and respect these values can bring you together as a family.

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