Remembrance Day: Lest We Forget....
Photo Credit: Rob Decoeli
When I was little, It was important to have proper manners. You opened the door for people, you said your please and thank you's, and above all, you respected your elders. It was ingrained into me. My parents, time and time again would remind us to use them. They were so strict about it that I had never seen an episode of Simpsons until a friend had it on at her house. My mom thought it was teaching children to disrespect their parents, and you know what? she was right.Because of all of this, the stories of war and what people did to keep us safe always had a special place in my heart. In elementary school, close to Remembrance Day, we would walk over to the continuing care facility across the field, and present the veterans with photos we drew and songs that we learned. You could tell that they loved it, and that made me so happy to be able to make their day. Around that same age, my grandparents moved to Chester to help my mom out with all of us girls. Grandad, a brit who joined the Canadian Forces at a fresh young age, started taking me to the ceremonies at the Chester Cenotaph with him. I was so proud as I watched him march in with the rest of the veterans, with his metals hung over his heart.In the past few generations since then, this whole idea of entitlement has run rampant and that respect for our elders has diminished. We can blame it on TV or movies, the school system, or even society. But, you have to see the real reason is yourself, as parents. I didn't change what my parents taught me because of what I was seeing in the outside world. They taught me right from wrong and how to judge accordingly. Because of that solid base, the same type that Rob was raise with, we will do so on to our son. We will teach Aubrey why we are able to make our own decisions and take our own path in life. How because of those men and women who fight for us on a day to day basis over seas, we can be free to speak our mind. We will teach him to respect his elders and that no gesture is too small to make someones day. We will make sure he remembers, because if he doesn't, who is going to teach the next generations.Thank you, Canada, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.Katie Rose xo