Being a mom is fulfilling—hard—but fulfilling. Motherhood changes you, mostly for the better. We become more responsible, not only toward our kids, friends, family, colleagues, but also towards our nation. Being a mom can make us better citizens. Namrata Sadhavni of Momspresso says:
All those years of experience were a solid moral and ethical foundation that supported my eventual development of compassion, integrity, commitment, selflessness, and all of the other attributes that constitute a "good citizen", and they came to a realization and culmination when I became a mother, as now I had to pass the baton, of making my kids responsible citizens as well.
Whether it was simple things like following traffic rules and lane discipline while driving, not breaking out into road rage by simply assuming I was right every time I got into an argument on the road, standing in queue to wait my turn at the grocery shop billing counter, paying my bills on time, respecting every form of authority, speaking kindly with everyone irrespective of their age and assumed social status, being a mother made me more “responsible” towards myself, as I knew I had to be safe, fit and fine, in perfect physical and mental health for my kids, and this had the desired effect of making me a better citizen.
All moms want their children to grow up to be good people and responsible citizens. We work to give them the building blocks to develop a strong moral sense. We want that moral sense to evolve into a person who can feel, think and act with respect for themselves and for other people. Moms need to set an example of how to pursue their own well-being, while also being considerate of the needs and feelings of others. Namrata continues:
Just as children must be taught to tie their shoes, read and write, solve math problems, and understand science concepts and events in history, so must they be guided in developing the qualities of character that are valued by their families and by the communities in which they live.
Parents must be the ones to determine which values they want their children to develop, but to reinforce those values, children need to see them being practiced wholeheartedly by their parents first! Children learn by what they see, not by what they hear. Parents who exhibit responsible behavior teach their children on a daily basis about the behavior that is expected of them.
A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly 3/4 of Americans said voting in elections was a very important component a good citizen. And nearly 7 and 10 Americans thought paying taxes was a sign of good citizenship. Obeying the law hit nearly 70%.
Other citizenship traits that made the pole were — serving on a jury, respecting the opinions of others you disagree with, participating in the US census, volunteering to help others, knowing the Pledge of Allegiance, keeping up with the happenings of government/politics and protesting when you believe government actions are inappropriate. Only one third of Americans viewed flying the flag as an important aspect of citizenship.
No matter who you vote for or whether you fly a flag on Independence Day, the most important way for a mother to be a good citizen is to pass on a strong moral sense to her children. The children we raise today will grow to be the citizens of tomorrow.
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