Memorial Day

So it's Memorial Day.  Which means that my kids get super excited because they get to watch the parade with firetrucks and candy!

So we cart out our chairs, water bottles and sippy cups to the curb out in front of our house.  We waited until the time the parade was supposed to start, because in our town, they never start on time.  We learned that the hard way last year.  Even still we were waiting awhile.

But, a man came up and was talking to us.  It wasn't a total stranger.  We knew him from Freecycle (his granddaughter is now using a bunch of Landon's baby equipment) and he's part of the Fire Dept, so the kids recognized him from school.

He asked my boys (Sweet Nut and Cute Boy...Chunk was too busy with his lollipop and Spawn is at the X's for the weekend) if they knew why there was a parade today.  They said, Yep, it's Memorial Day.  I'm sure he thought that they were just parroting me saying it.  He asked them if they knew what Memorial Day meant and Cute Boy said that It's the day that we spend time with our families remembering the soldiers who died.  Sweet Nut went even farther and said that we need to pray for all the soldiers who are fighting now and for the families of the ones who have died.  The man asked if they knew anyone who was a soldier and Sweet Nut said yes, we know some who are soldiers now and that Grandpa(my grandpa-the boys call my dad Pa) was a soldier.  The man asked if he knew if Grandpa was ever in a war and Sweet Nut said yes, he was in the Army Air Force in WWII and that my uncle was in the Navy in Vietnam.  The man told him that it was great that he knew that and that he hoped that when the boys got bigger they would never have to go to war and Sweet Nut said, it's OK.  I'm going to be a soldier because I want to be like Grandpa and be a pilot.  The man said he can do that without being a soldier, and Sweet Nut said, but regular pilots only fly regular planes.  I want to fly planes and protect the world from bad guys.

Who knew my kids actually pay attention when we talk about things that go on.  And I'm super impressed that Sweet Nut remembered about Grandpa and my uncle, and what they did.  He learned about it for a project over a year and a half ago.  I guess I should prepare for him going into the armed forces now, because it's not the first time he's mentioned it.

The one thing that made me sad was that when the parade was done, both the boys noted that there were not a lot of people there, that more people were there for the carnival parade.  And then my ever so wise goobers said "Mommy, more people should come to this parade.  It's shorter but at least the soldiers can look down from heaven and see that we still care."

Yes, boys, you are right.  All the soldiers, on earth and in heaven should know that we care.