Naptime Blog

I recently was part of a discussion with other mothers which turned into a debate of sorts over rights and responsibilities in our country. Comparing the USA to other countries, we are extremely fortunate to live in the “land of the free, home of the brave”. As a parent, my husband and I are our children’s first teachers. Being proud of and taking care of ourselves, our family and our country are things that I want to be sure stress to each of my children. And living in this country, we often hear others throw around the phrase “it’s a free country”. I think that some people take that a little too literal, because freedom, to me, does not mean that we are all free to do what we want, when we want, how we want, as long as we “want” to do it. So that brings me to question WHAT DOES “FREE COUNTRY” MEAN TO ME?

I thought about this question and answered it. I think that it is important for me to understand a concept before it becomes something that I need to address with my children. So, what does being “free” mean to me, and what does “freedom” mean in America to me?

Freedom, to me, means that I am free to educate myself and my family, I am able to succeed and excel in what I choose to focus on, providing I am not hurting anyone else nor am I being detrimental to society.  Freedom, to me, means that every other American has the SAME rights, and that what THEY choose to do with THEIR lives does not take away from what I am working hard for and what I am working hard to give my family and our future.

FREEDOM IS NOT JUST FOR ONE, IT IS FOR ALL AMERICANS.

Actually, let me expand that… for ANYONE who lives on American soil…  Americans and non-Americans alike…  for anyone who lives in America, has the same opportunities and the same tools to succeed… Therefore, ANYONE living on American soil, by the way I see FREEDOM, should be living their lives knowing that they have the same opportunities as me, but yet when they utilize those opportunities, they should NOT be taking away from the opportunities of my family nor any other family who have worked so hard to get where they are…

I strive to teach my children this every day…  my 8 year old is the only one at this point old enough to understand… when she comes home from school and asks “Mommy, how come such and such….”  sometimes, I don’t have an answer, because we follow the rules, but not everyone else does. But it is important that I continue to teach her to use the tools to succeed.

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (4 months)
www.nevaland.com