This year the Fourth of July will be different for all of us. No fireworks — in the city, anyway — hooray!
With no fireworks, there will be no fires and no burns. There won’t be children who are too young setting off fireworks that are too dangerous for them to be handling. There won’t be people lined up to buy fireworks they can’t afford as the prices continue to rise.
So what will the Fourth be like? Actually, it will be like a day to honor the Independence of the United States. It will honor the holiday that has been in existence since 1941 but that goes back to the American Revolution. The Continental Congress voted in favor of independence on July 2, 1776. A couple of days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence that Thomas Jefferson wrote.
This kind of information has been lost in the fireworks. Now we can talk about what the Fourth of July is really about. Now you can bring out your American flag and talk about the beginning of our country so many years ago. Tell your child about the 50 stars that represent the 50 states and about the 13 stripes which represents the 13 colonies that declared independence from England.
When we talk about the United States we also call the flag the “Stars and Stripes” and “Old Glory.” I am sure you know all of this, but it might help to tell your young child about it not just once but several times over the years.
Make the emphasis for the Fourth of July the flag. Explain to your child about the stars and stripes. Be sure you have a flag you can put out on this important day. If you don’t, at least point out the number of places that will have flags out to celebrate.
Look up the history of the American Flag. Few adults know a lot about it, so if you look it up with your child she learns something new about history — but also something new about how you work a computer.
On the Fourth, you can still go to parades and have barbecues even without fireworks. You can still take the day off and celebrate with your relatives. But you can also talk with your young children about this special day and why it is important.
Actually, we need to look closely at all of our “holidays” and think what they are about. We have a tendency to celebrate the day off more than why we have the day off. We also forget to talk with our children about why we celebrate each holiday.
In order to be ready to discuss each holiday, we all probably need to do some catch up. This really is one of the best reasons for having computers. They easily tell us all the information we need to have on facts we should share with our children.
You can learn more information about our flag by just typing in American flag than you ever thought you needed. In a brief period of time, you can become a flag expert just with the help of your computer.
Then you can follow that up with other holidays that you need to know more about. Did you know Father’s Day was first celebrated in Washington state in 1910? The rest of the country followed us later.
Read about Martin Luther King (January), Memorial Day (May), and Labor Day (September). There are many more that you should know about and be able to talk with your child about.
Even if you really loved the fireworks, you need to become a holiday expert for your sake and for your child’s sake. You can begin your studies of what exactly behind each of the holidays with the Fourth of July.
Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which publishes newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents. To reach current First Teacher Executive Director Nicole Brewer, email nicole@firstteacher.org or call 360-681-2250.
