I think we should celebrate.

In case you didn't know, Today is *deep breath* Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday (Observed), better known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is my absolute favorite holiday, and yes, I am serious. It seems like a strange holiday to be a favorite, I know. Really, not much happens, but kids get the day off school, and adults gets the day off of work...or as I found out today, some of them do. People have different opinions on whether today should be one that is taken off. Some say children should be school to learn about the great man that this holiday celebrates, others, like myself, take a completely different stand. Instead of trying to explain it to individuals, I thought I would explain it here, to everyone at the same time.

I believe children should learn about equality in school. I believe that they should learn what Martin Luther King Jr. did to push equality forward. I think they should be taught about his speech. I believe they should be taught about what happened after the speech. I think that children should learn about how far we have come, and far we still have to go. I do NOT think this learning needs to happen ON Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Children learn about Independence day, and they learn about Thanksgiving. These are both major events that happened in our country's history. They are important to learn, but does this mean children should be in school on those days to learn about them? I don't think so. We take those days off to celebrate. We celebrate their significance and how they have helped to form our great country. We light fireworks; we eat turkey. We spend time with our families. Why? Because they are worth celebrating. They are worth taking the time off to make them special, to help our children know that these days mean a lot. Why should Martin Luther King Jr. Day be any different? Shouldn't we take the time to make the day special and different?

Most people just take Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a Monday off. A day to stay in pajamas and watch TV. If that is how we are going to look at the day, of course children should be in school. You aren't making it special, you aren't showing them how important the day is. I think we should celebrate. We should spend time with family and friends. We should talk about how far our country has come. We should talk about what we can do to keep moving forward. We should eat multi-colored foods, we should watch movies that show equality. We should strive to make this a day our kids remember. A day they enjoy and want to know why we have it.

You have your opinions, and I have mine. As for me, I will be celebrating! In fact I've already made cookies:

P.S. I think other holidays are unappreciated too, but this being my favorite, I thought I would stand up for it.