How to Raise a Patriotic Teenager

Raising a teenager to be patriotic requires that parents instill strong ethical and moral values in their children. The challenges that are facing parents today have never been seen before in our country.

This eHow article will teach you step-by-step instructions for raising a teenage boy or girl to love and respect the United States of America.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. **Political systems**
   
   Teach your teenager to understand how the American political system works. Encourage your child to read books, magazines and web sites that explain the political history of the United States. Your teenager will be more patriotic if he or she understands how America came into existence. Stress to your child that freedom should not be taken lightly.

2. **Economic systems**
   
   Educate your teenager about the different economic systems that exist in the world. Explain why the United States employs a capitalistic system. Discuss the current economic crisis and how Americans are free to be rich or poor. Get feedback from your child on the role of the federal government. Empower your teenager to work, save money and always be prepared for financial emergencies.

3. **Religious systems**
   
   Review the religious freedoms that we have in this country with your teenager. No matter what your religious or spiritual background, your young adult should understand the separation between church and state. Ask your teenager to learn about different religions. Go to alwaysbeready.com to read information about many religions.

4. **Educational systems**
   
   Talk with your teenager about the different types of educational systems we have in America. Listen to their thought about home schooling, public school and private school education. Emphasize the important of a college education and how one can benefit your teenage child in the future.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to your teenager about life issues.
• Respect the opinion of your teens.
• Remember that you were once a teenager.
• Avoid sticking your head in the sand when discussing tough topics with your teenager.
• Never, ever ignore your children when they have an opinion.
• Be aware of ways that you might offend and isolate your teenagers.

[jull14]

on 4/28/2009 This is very important information. The more better citizne we raised the better our country will be, thanks for sharing this great information. Julia