February Virtue - Patriotism

"On the basis of birth and upbringing, parents and country are the closest sources of all our existence and development; as a consequence everyone is indebted first of all under God to his parents and fatherland"
--Saint Thomas Aquinas

Our country provides us with conditions necessary for our intellectual, moral, social and economic life. Therefore, we should pay back by rendering it the honor and service it deserves, supporting and defending the values it stands for against harmful external influences.

The parents' duty is to find ways of teaching the child the values specific to his environment, for example: nature, culture, history and customs.
This will help your child to feel at one with his companions who share the same heritage.
Teach you child history
Tell your child stories about local heroes, famous people
Teach you child typical customs, traditions and dances
Teach you child to respect the flag

Teaching children about the common good is a first step in teaching them how to be patriotic and how to share common values.
On a very basic level, you can teach a child to be patriotic by showing him how to look after the place they live in, for example: keeping the environment tidy and clean.

It is also important to remember that every man and woman has a responsibility for his fellow man worldwide. We are children of God and therefore must always look simultaneously to the welfare of the whole human family, which is tied together by the manifold bonds linking races, peoples and nations.