History is Essential for Boys

We give our kids are a lot of books to read when they’re young; after all, we want to make sure they develop themselves in different areas. There’s no better way to make someone want to learn then having them read all about why they should learn more!

But what makes history so important? And what makes MILITARY history so important?

Not every kid who reads history is going to become a historian, so is that knowledge any good?

The answer is still absolutely yes.

History is how we learn where the past made its most important mistakes, and its largest successes. We learn about disasters such as the fall of Rome and why we shouldn’t act like the barbarians. We also discover how and why the United States broke away from the British to live their lives free from masters who forced them into unjust laws.

            That second example ties into why we read military history. As written in Ecclesiastes, “…a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” But how can we know the signs of war? How can we know when war is necessary? Only a detailed description of warfare, how why and when it happened, can allow the next generation to prepare and learn from their ancestor’s mistakes.

            These books were written for a number of reasons. But one of the most important is also the most important reason that we teach history to kids. So that all of us learn and none of us forget why we are where we are today. Not by good fortune or by events out of our control, but because of sacrifices made for a greater good.

This isn’t the case all of the time. Unfortunately, most wars start for selfish reasons. But understanding what allows that to happen and why good men have to fight against evil is exactly what kids today need to hear.

            The books should entertain as all good writing will. But hopefully, your children learn an important lesson about when to spot danger, and when to stand up against evil when it shows up. We don’t teach history to our kids just because it’s fun. We teach it so that they will know how to do better than we ever could, and pass those same lessons onto their kids. And isn’t that the most important goal of parenting?