How will you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

I remember as a child I was taught so much about Martin Luther King Jr. Now as a parent, I don’t know how much my children hear about him at school. While the kids have the day off from school, I don’t have the day off from work. But I’m taking personal time off! Turns out only about 40% of employers give off for MLK Day. I want to make sure that my kids learn about Martin Luther King Jr’s life story and legacy, not just that it’s a day off from school. In today’s day and age, we have plenty of movies to choose from we can share with the kids. We have books and we talk about his beliefs.

I was curious how MLK has impacted other families, so I asked a few of them to share. How do they observe Martin Luther King, Jr day or what they think of him? Some parents said their kids are still exposed to a lot of his story from school. Others read books and watch movies like we do. Families with small ones, use coloring books, pages that you can find on pinterest and they talk about the value MLK brought to our nation.

One person made a comment that really stuck with me. They expressed how Martin Luther King Jr represents a movement and ideology. “Martin Luther King Jr. represents america’s sins, being partially acknowledged and partially addressed, he represents hope, he represents a future we’re still striving for, a future that we were closer to and somehow rescinded from over the last several years in everything from the administration to classrooms. He represents a vision.”

This really moved me. It got me thinking about the actions we take or don’t take. It reminded me that we have to teach our children, our future leaders about social activism, about giving back to the community, and being involved in meaningful ways. Martin Luther King Jr. has some amazing quotes and he believed you should help others. Some of my favorite are:

“Our lives being to end, the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“In the end we will remember, not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends”

Why not share with our children, the causes we care about. Share more than just what we care about, but share with them, ways to be involved. Teach them that little steps, can make an impact. How about volunteering, or donating to organizations that support your cause? Look for local events near you that you can participate in together. How will you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day this year? Looking forward to your celebration or educational ideas.