I couldn’t help but seize on the Fourth of July theme of appreciating our great country on it’s 250th birthday. There are two theme here this week and although they could have been divided into two separate lessons, I see value in combining them. Let’s start with teaching your kids to be good citizens, which is one of our big responsibilities as a parent that includes teaching them how to behave, how to treat people and how to get along with others often that can be summed up by The Golden Rule which I often mention it and I did in Friday’s blog post. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12, or similar from Luke 6:31. . George Washington, often referred to as The Father of Our Country since he was our first President and the general who presided over the Continental Army and helped the colonist win the Revolutionary War to gain freedom from Great Britain and King George, didn’t have an easy path growing up. He was not close to his parents and his father died when he was about eleven years old. Fortunately, his older half brother, Lawrence and Lawrence’s father-in-law, William Fairfax, stepped in to be important role models in Washington’s life. George was a good student and followed both men’s lead. He soaked up their wisdom and guidance. The book Decency In Conversation Amongst Men, written in 1595, a French Jesuit Handbook, translated into English, was a gift to Washington and studied the book. He then selected the rules he felt were most important, then wrote, George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior.
From the forward of the book:
“These rules were drawn from an English translation of a French book of maxims and were intended to polish manners, keep alive the best intentions of the heart, impress the obligations of moral virtues, teach how to treat others in social relations, and above all, inculcate the practice of a perfect self-control. “
George Washington was known for his kindness and politeness throughout his entire life. I recall when learning about Washington in early Elementary School, the story of his father giving him a hatchet at age six (who gives their son a hatchet at age six? However, these were different times) and young George chopped down his father’s favorite cherry tree. George confessed that “I cannot tell a lie, I chopped down the cherry tree.” His father hugged him and told him he was proud of his honesty and that was far more important than a cherry tree, or so the story goes.
Washington lived in a different era. Manners and civility were observed and respected. Much of what a child learned about life and common sense was learned in the home and at Church. These were common values held by the society. There was a commonality amongst the society of Colonial America. When kids did go to school, their backgrounds were similar they came from faithful homes where respect values were impressed upon their hearts and minds.
However, even though times are different and it is two-hundred fifty years later, some things do not go out of style. Treating people with respect never goes out of style nor do the words of The Bible, like The Golden Rule. Teach your kids these very valuable lessons from The Bible and classic literature and they will follow them for a life time. “The fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom,” the message I get from this passage from Proverbs 9:10 and 1:7 is that if one fears their Lord, there is respect for authority and an understanding that we are accountable to God for our behavior and actions. This very important lesson and The Golden Rule, combined with a good work ethic is an excellent recipe for success. This book by Washington is on my Kindle and would be great reading for your pre-teens, teenagers and young adults…
Lesson Two this week is to teach your kids what makes America great. In preparing for this lesson, I did some reading on Washington and was reminded by the qualities that made him a remarkable man, respectable enough to be selected as our first President. He was a leader who earned the respect of his troops by being by their side rather than at his warm and comfortable home, Mount Vernon. He was fearless, he was kind and compassionate and was a skilled marksman and warrior, proving himself in the French and American war, years earlier. People liked Washington and people feared him. There was a story that an Indian warrior had shot at him during the French and Indian War and was told that Washington’s coat had caught more than a hand full of his bullets and he finally told his men to quit wasting arrows and bullets at him as he wondered if he was protected by the Almighty. Fearless is a good word to describe Washington and those Founding Fathers, who risked their livelihood and lives to gain the independence of our country. Throughout history we have seen that same spirit in the soldiers of the Civil War, WWI, WWII and every war since. Think of the soldiers scaling the cliffs of Normandy or those in the foxholes of World War 1 described in the book, All Quiet on the Western Front. The men who went to Vietnam and came back to protests and the burning of the American flags yet went about getting back to life as best as they could having witnessed the death and destruction they did. In addition to the service men and women, consider the inventors, entrepreneur, businessmen, athletes and others who inspired generation and paved the way for others…
In 1976 the movie “Rocky” premiered and won 3 Academy Awards. Surprisingly, no award was won for Bill Conti’s incredible soundtrack. Conti is pictured bottom left with Stallone.
Fifty years ago at the Bicentennial of our country, I was twelve years old, just finishing up seventh grade. I recall the movie, ROCKY premiered that summer. It was a fictional story, written by Sylvester Stallone (in just three days after watching a fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner). He was an unknown actor, struggling to make it. He had vision for his underdog, struggling character and story about a boxer from Philly who worked hard and got a chance to take on the heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Stallone turned down over $300,000 for the script for a mere $23,000, so that he could play the lead. The studio envisioned Burt Reynolds or Robert Redford. The settled on a low film budget (1,000,000) cutting here and there and using Stallone’s dad and brother, Frank as extras. The story not only told the story of a down and out, underdog boxer, but of Stallone rocky journey to make it in acting. Like the underdog patriots of Colonial America, he stood up to the challenge and propelled himself to success that began with that film. Stallone was honored by the Trump Administration in December with a Presidential Honor for the Arts and his story was told with 4 others at The Kennedy Center. Even the Rocky Theme, Gonna Fly Now, written by Bill Conti was performed by the orchestra and directed by Conti himself. The Movie won 3 Academy Awards that Bicentennial year, so fitting of that story and the recognition…
America’s two-hundred and fifty year history is filled with stories like George Washington and Sylvester Stallone. Men and women from every aspect of profession, background, ethnicity, interest, location and life have stories that tell of the American Spirit, experiencing triumph over adverse circumstances. Tell your kids these stories and teach them of their proud heritage as Americans. The road may not have been easy but the challenge was what propelled them to success. Our missteps and shortcomings were opportunities to learn from and are part of our entire story.
My suggestion to you as parents is to look at your kids interests and talents, find stories of people who your kids can identify with and tell them these stories. It seems as if there are young Americans who don’t know our storied history, who don’t know how our country came about or the men and women who shaped it with their hard work, determination and ability to overcome difficult situations. With the internet now, it is easy to do a little homework yourself and just talk to your kids. If you are not already a good story teller, you can become one, because the stories are so rich with characters, plots and themes. Teach them what the Declaration of Independence means and what it did for the Colonists. Tell them what the Constitution stands for and and the men who wrote these very important documents. Your stories can inspire discussion of common qualities these outstanding American possessed. These historical men and women can motivate your kids to do more reading on their own or encourage them in their life. These stories are more interesting than a Netflix series and they are true!! Learning about our history can inspire our youthand others so that our next two-hundred and fifty years will be even more successful and storied creating many Great Days for so many🍎
