stripe Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 No and I don't consider the Pledge to be culturally relevant (when does anyone ever say it after high school?). The Star-Spangled Banner, however, is certainly relevant and my kids will know it. We won't sing it at home, though, unless someone particularly wants to. First of all, I have to say that your picture in your signature made me smile. Secondly, I was startled by your question. And I really would like an answer -- when is the pledge normally said? Does anyone in the military say it as an part of their routine? Is it a part of any public events aimed at the general public or adults? Why does it seem to be associated with children at school? Has this always been the case? Thank you for asking a question I never thought to wonder about, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 We're Canadian. If we were American I would be unlikely to have it together enough to have a flagpole or say the Pledge. But it seems like a nice thing to do. I wouldn't worry, though, that kids won't know it if you don't say it. It's so ubiquitous that I, my husband, and more or less everyone I know knows the Pledge of Allegiance, and we're all Canadians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I do not have a flag in the house. We do not say the pledge daily. I think I stopped saying the pledge daily as a kid when we left NY and headed down south. That would have been in 5th grade for me. Occasionally this topic pops up here, and that is the only time I think about it. I really can only think of a time or two times that I've said the pledge as an adult. I feel kind of weird doing so. Not because of the words or their meaning, but because it seems like something that should be done by school children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I wouldn't worry, though, that kids won't know it if you don't say it. It's so ubiquitous that I, my husband, and more or less everyone I know knows the Pledge of Allegiance, and we're all Canadians. Maybe because you are Canadian. 6% of Americans surveyed couldn't say the date of Independence Day. :001_huh: Anyway, I certainly didn't know the history of the pledge, or that it was designed for kids. And the author was a Christian socialist. Why didn't I know this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 We say it as a part of co-op. I like our co-op but I would happily eliminate that part of our day. However, it doesn't seem worth kicking up a fuss about it so in the interest of having a drama free co-op, I go with the flow. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 No flag, no pledge. I'm not anti-patriotic or anything, but if my kids were to recite something daily, it wouldn't be the pledge to the country. Perhaps I need to create a pledge to kindness and respect toward one another. When people get that one down, the rest follows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 No, no pledging here. I have had them memorize it for American history - they also memorize the Gettysburg Address, Preamble to the Constitution, etc., but we don't otherwise go through that ritual. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 We say it once a week at Classical Conversations, so my kids know it, but we do not say it at home on a regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Secondly, I was startled by your question. And I really would like an answer -- when is the pledge normally said? Does anyone in the military say it as an part of their routine? Is it a part of any public events aimed at the general public or adults? Why does it seem to be associated with children at school? Has this always been the case? Thank you for asking a question I never thought to wonder about, I'm curious about this too now. I never said it after being in elementary school, actually. I can't think of a single adult function I've ever been to where the pledge was recited. I can't imagine saying it. I'm sure my kids wouldn't have any clue what it even was. But, as some PP's have pointed out, my kids know at least a bit of The Star-Spangled Banner as well as a number of other patriotic songs, and have memorized the preamble to the Constitution and would recognize a few other things in that vein... I see the pledge as being completely superfluous and less important than these other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I'm curious about this too now. I never said it after being in elementary school, actually. I can't think of a single adult function I've ever been to where the pledge was recited. I live in a small town, and the pledge is recited at all our special day town parades -- Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc. So I hear it recited several times a year. Before moving here, though, I don't think I'd heard it since childhood. I taught my ds the pledge early on, and he recites it in scouts. It's one of those things I want him to know, but no daily reciting (except when he was first learning it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 NO. I had to do that in elementary school every Friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EducationX2 Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 No flag, no pledge. I'm not anti-patriotic or anything, but if my kids were to recite something daily, it wouldn't be the pledge to the country. Perhaps I need to create a pledge to kindness and respect toward one another. When people get that one down, the rest follows. :iagree:If you create that, DD and I will recite that each morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I live in NY, and while we didn't say it daily in school, we did say it before all school sporting events. The anthem was sung as well. When my dh runs in some small 5k runs the pledge is said, and the anthem sung before as well. Come to think of it, it was played before college hockey games. So, I don't associate it with small children as much as with sporting events. I never really understood the connection either. Why sports? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Absolutely not. Never have, never will. :iagree:Not my style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 (edited) Some Austrailians have piped in (thank you). My husband is English and claims he never said anything like a pledge when in school. Is the U.S. the only country that does??? My husband is Guatemalan. He says they have a pledge of allegiance, but they only say it once a year, on independence day (Sept. 15). He doesn't remember it, so I haven't been able to teach it to our children. When our kids are little (up to about 2nd), we start the school year singing the US anthem, the Guatemalan anthem, the US pledge of allegiance, and our current Bible memory at the beginning of school every day. This usually lasts a couple of months, gets dropped for time constraints for a few months (except for Bible memory, which is much more important to us), and then gets done again once in a while. It is not a big deal for us, so I don't mind dropping it when we have more important things to do, but I do think they should be familiar with it and the ideals it expresses of what we want our country to be. When I first start doing this (around 4yo) we discuss regularly what each is talking about and what it means. As they get older, we also also discuss that these are ideals of what we want our country to be, but that our country has not always lived up to these ideals. I also stress from babyhood that our first loyalty is to God, not to our country/countries or to ourselves. While my kids think I am too "talky", they do understand the national anthems and the pledge of allegiance. Edited July 2, 2012 by Spock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 No, no pledging here. I have had them memorize it for American history - they also memorize the Gettysburg Address, Preamble to the Constitution, etc., but we don't otherwise go through that ritual. Faith :iagree: They know it, but it's not how we start our day or nuthin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amayla Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Last year we did start most mornings with the pledge and memory work. It was kindergarten for us and was suggested in the cirriculum we were using. This year we have not said it once! He does say it weekly at Awana, but that is about it! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I'm happy to say "The Pledge". I appreciate living in America... and I want my children to appreciate it as well. We started saying it at the co-op we did last year. I'm glad and it makes me feel patriotic. I want my kids to remember the price that has been paid... and is being paid!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 In my experience I have never been in a situation where it was said outside of school. My only experience with military was that I did monthly drills with the National Guard for a year (I was 17, planning to join, and changed my mind before basic). We never said the pledge. At sporting events I've been to they sing the anthem, but that's it. One Little League here usually plays the national anthem before each game. One night they didn't have sound set up so the kids said the pledge instead. My ds was the only one who couldn't say it. Oops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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