Yep, I wait until the last day to do the post. I will be the first to admit I did not read the book in it’s entirety. But I did go back through it today and find some things that really hit home with me. Right at the beginning of the book…
I can’t help my daughter finish the science project she failed to start if I want her to learn accountability and responsibility, nor can I teach my son to be proud of who he is if I let him cave in to peer pressure. Teaching our children that life is not fair is hard.
I have hit that just recently in my life. Sucks but very much the truth. And to give you an idea about the book (much better than I could right on my own… here is another excert):
I have divided the book into Three Parts:
Part One describes how the rules parents try to live by also apply to making our nation strong and secure.
Part Two offers a discussion of how the lessons we teach our children are appropriate for our nation and imagines a day when our children are America’s leaders.
Part Three takes some liberties with famous quotes about parenting to highlight the similarities between parenting and governing a nation. This section is meant to encourage parents, especially mothers who tend to be less inclined to engage in national security and foreign policy debates, to participate in important government decisions.
Now if that doesn’t peak your interest… I don’t know what else I can write that might. Ok, if I had posted this earlier and been able to offer a prize… In fact, I have till today to pick a winner(s). If you would like to win access to this book on-line… Put a comment here and why you would like to read it. As of tomorrow I can send out the online link for the prize(s)!
You already have access to downloadable children’s pages, printable poster and more. Go to THIS LINK and check it out.
Back to the book…
Another piece I liked and hope I can teach to my children (the stuff in italics is my emphasis):
The world we live in today is a product of its past just as my family is the result of the hard work and sacrifice of my parents, grandparents, and all my ancestors. Our past choices as a nation and our domestic and foreign policies have shaped our world. Recognizing this does not mean we are blaming past policymakers, condemning their choices, or challenging the rationale for them. It means we simply understand that they had a role in creating the world we live in today. And today’s world is not a perfect place for everyone.
I also loved the insight she saw in history that is usually not brought to the forefront:
I teach my children that the Mayflower was not really an intentional journey to start a free nation. It was an escape from religious persecution by some who ended up persecuting others. The Boston Tea Party had many negative consequences, including galvanizing support in England against the Colonists, and many of our founding fathers thought the saboteurs should pay for the destroyed tea.
And she writes a book that I can relate to in so many levels…. I have had a similar conversation with my boys at the ages of 5 and 6…
Believe it or not, one time I asked him, “Did you brush your teeth,” suspecting that he had not. He said,“Yeah, I did.” I was suspicious. I then said, “I mean today.” He responded, “Oh, no. I thought you just meant have I ever brushed my teeth.” The original answer was not a lie per se, but nor was it the whole truth.
Ok, this book is worth your time. Whether you agree with the total outcome of it or not. The writing is excellent. It is something most people with children can relate to in some manner or fashion. My apologies for not posting it sooner… comes from being a mom and getting forgetful. Take a look and then let me know what you think. Personally, I think I will be looking to buy this book in hardcopy. It was much to hard to read online and really enjoy it for me. And here is the Amazon affiliate code: www.amazon.com/dp/1923379725
Something I would add as far as parenting goes is that loving our kids isn’t always about hugs and kisses and snuggles and warm fuzzy puppies. Sometimes love is about making decisions in our kids’ best interests and pointing them in the right direction for their own good, even when they may not understand why and resent us for it. And sometimes love is about letting them loose to succeed and fail on their own, so they will learn on their own that life is not fair and they need to master themselves before they can take on the world.
I would be interested to see what the author thinks the Mayflower journey was for to begin with…it was not to escape religious persecution. It was a business venture by several English businessmen wanting to increase their ability to make money….needing several people to do it, they incorporated people from Holland (Leiden Separstists, the original pilgrims) onto the Mayflower along with those English who chose to search out a new life and who could not finance a ship on their own. The businessmen needed a ‘colony’ to work and expand their venture.
Religious persecution was such a small part of the voyage. The ‘Mayflower Compact’ was because the ship originally landed where they had no legal right to land.
So I guess you could say that National Security was involved after all…haha
Okay- so I took that totally out of it’s minor context….but still- sometimes it irritates me when people think the Mayflower was all about fleeing religous persecution when it was not.
We have two winners. I sent out the information this morning! Congrats you two!