Civic duty

In my humble opinion, we've dropped the ball again in the things we teach our kids. In this case, it can partly be blamed on the school system, and partly on the rest of us. I am talking about teaching kids about their responsibilities as citizens.
When I was younger, the basics of the Canadian Constitution were covered in History class. The key stuff was learned by the end of grade six. Now, so much is crammed into courses that kids don't even have a nodding acquaintance with the way our government works until high school. By that time, it is too late. Students have developed an apathy towards their civic duty, or they are already being asked to participate in the system and are confused.
Maybe as family we should be doing more. Each time an election is called, parents and older relatives (eligible to vote), should discuss the issues with their kids. After all, the government we elect today will make policies that will affect them down the road. That is the approach we could take too. We could ask them what they think about things, and in that way show them that their opinions already matter.
Kids these days assume that they have the right to do as they please. From an early age, they have an attitude of entitlement. Part of coping with demanding children could be showing them that with any "rights" they want come responsibilities, like taking part in making decisions and carrying them out.
Just a thought, but maybe when children reach the age of five or six, we should start giving them a vote on some family decisions. People seem to learn best when they start doing things at an early age. Maybe give them a little say in how groceries are bought. Just as much responsibility as they can handle, and that won't cause major headaches if the wrong decisions are made.
My point, (Yes, there is one.) is that we should be teaching our kids about the way our country is run from a very early age. It should not be done through book learning, but by example. Take your kids with you when you go to vote. And for heaven's sake, do vote! Let's set an example.