I don’t want Memorial Day to be just another long weekend.

Two grandfathers in our family fought in World War II, although they rarely spoke about the experience. My father served in the National Guard when I was very young. An uncle who died many years ago fought in Vietnam. But there are currently no active military personnel in our extended family. I suspect we’re like a lot of parents without close ties to the Armed Forces:  we try to explain the meaning of Memorial Day to our kids, but on a pretty-much-yearly basis, I worry that it has become just “the first day of summer” to them, or the day the pool opens, or a rare three-day weekend.

We must never forget that freedom is not free, but has been bought with a very steep price. We must not allow our children to forget, either. Click To Tweet

The conversation usually goes like this:

Me:  “Daddy is off work next Monday, so we’re probably going to [fill in whatever activity we’re considering].”

Child: “Great! Wait … why doesn’t Daddy have to work?”

Me: “Monday is Memorial Day.”

Child: “Uh, okay. Sure. What time are we leaving?”

When this happens, my husband and I do our best to back up the conversation and explain:  Memorial Day is important. It’s the day that Americans honor the soldiers from all of our nation’s wars, who have fought to protect our freedom.

We want our kids to understand that.

We try. Truly, we do.

But sometimes, it feels like their attention has moved on. Like it doesn’t really sink in that every day, including this very day, there are men and women quite literally putting their lives at risk to protect a way of life for millions of people they don’t know.

That’s a pretty staggering concept, yet our kids don’t seem to break stride.

What’s a parent to do?

Here are a few suggestions to help celebrate this day of remembrance. Some of them are things you can do TODAY with little or no notice; some might require a bit more planning. But all of them can go a little way to helping cement the meaning of Memorial Day in the minds and hearts of your children:

• Fly the American flag or attend a flag-related ceremony. Memorial Day flag etiquette dictates that the flag be flown at half-staff until noon, in mourning for soldiers who lost their lives to defend our freedoms. At noon, the flag is raised to the top of the flag pole and flies at full staff for the rest of the day to honor all of our nation’s soldiers, past and present. Explain this tradition to your children, and implement it at home if you fly a flag there. If you don’t, place a few phone calls or check your local paper to find a location where your family can watch the noon flag-raising ceremony. (A good place to start: the local VA hospital or VFW post.)
• Observe a moment of silence and prayer. In 2000, the United States Congress passed a resolution establishing a “National Moment of Remembrance” at 3PM (local time) on Memorial Day. Americans are encouraged to pause their activities and observe one minute of silent reflection in honor of our troops. Set a timer on your watch or cell phone for several minutes before 3, gather your children, and hold hands while everyone stands quietly. After one minute, you can end by praying aloud a short, simple prayer. Nothing complicated; kids of almost any age will get the gist if you say, “Dear Lord, Thank you that we live in a country where we are able to stand here together and worship you. We ask for safety for the people who protect our freedom every day, and pray that they will all come to know your love. Amen.”
• Visit a National Cemetery. For most of us, the one that first comes to mind is Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. and without a doubt, the seemingly endless rows of white crosses there are profoundly moving. Yes, Arlington should be on your family’s to-visit list – but for most of us, it’s more than a day trip. Would you believe there are actually close to 150 National Cemeteries in the U.S. and territories? A list can be found here or here.
• Tour a war memorial or museum. Again, while it may be home to the best-known memorials, you don’t have to load everyone in the car and head for the District of Columbia. There are local and state memorials, as well as museums, throughout the U.S. The interactive map here and the extremely comprehensive list here are both quite helpful.
• Allow your child to write to an active, reserve or former service member. A Million Thanks is one organization that helps distribute letters to military personnel, but you can find other groups by searching the internet. (If you are familiar with other groups that send letters to our troops, please feel free to share the name and website in a comment below.) Consider printing extra copies of the patriotic handwriting page below, and letting your child color and write letter(s) to a service member on it.

• Help your child memorize the words of Jesus in John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends, and use these printable patriotic sheets to practice writing the verse. (Two versions are available for download: Patriotic Border Sheet - Manuscript or Patriotic Border Sheet - Cursive )
  

  Talk about the sacrifice of soldiers who dedicate years of their lives to protecting their nation, friends, family, and fellow citizens. Explain that many of them are away from their loved ones for weeks and months at a time, while others suffer serious injuries and even lose their lives in service of their country.

  Then remind your children of the greatest-ever example of sacrificial love:  Jesus Christ suffering and dying on the cross, to pay the penalty for our sins and save us from eternal separation from God. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [Romans 5:7-8, ESV]

Memorial Day is one specific day set aside for remembrance, but as parents, it’s our duty to regularly remind our kids (and ourselves) that we are tremendously privileged to live in this nation and enjoy the liberty afforded us here. So often we take it for granted.

As parents, it's our duty to regularly remind our kids (and ourselves) that we are tremendously privileged to live in this nation and enjoy the liberty afforded us here. Click To Tweet

We must never forget that freedom is not free, but has been bought with a very steep price.

We must not allow our children to forget, either.