The pledge of allegiance, with its references to "Richard Stans" and our "invisible" nation, is mis-quoted every morning by public school children across the nation. There are those, however, who are unhappy about this, most famously because of the two-word phrase added in the 1950's in order to ward off the communist threat.

The pledge was written in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the new world by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and Christian Socialist. The original version was "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." In the 1920's, "my Flag" was changed, against Bellamy's wishes, to "the Flag of the United States of America."

The phrase "under God" was added in 1954 due to pressure from the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization. According to Bellamy's granddaughter, the original author would not have approved of this change either. There is a lot of opposition to the recitation of the pledge, as it stands, by schoolchildren, most notably by Michael Newdow, an attorney and physician who, in 2000, filed a lawsuit in order to make sure his daughter could "go to public school free from daily theistic indoctrination."

A lot of people, however, don't get what all the hoopla is about -- why not just let it be, especially since the Supreme Court has ruled that students are not required to recite it? There are a number of reasons, actually, so in the interest of fostering understanding on this, the anniversary of our nation's birth, here are some of them:

Beyond hot dogs and fireworks, have you taught your child the meaning behind Independence Day? I'll admit that I haven't even started. We have our Fourth of July traditions, but even my older daughter has only the vaguest grasp on what the holiday is all about.

One of our traditions is meeting our in-laws in a town in between ours and theirs for a road race early in the day. My husband's brother is a runner, and he does a 10K there every year. This year, he and my husband took our girls in the 2K fun run as well. As we stood watching the runners go by, a group of racers carrying flags and wearing t-shirts emblazoned with "support our troops" went by. The crowd went wild as they passed, and my older daughter asked me, "Why are they clapping for them?" Not the most perfect place for a civic lesson, but I did my best.

CNN asked their readers to share their own thoughts on patriotism today, and the responses are interesting. I'd like to go one step further and ask ParentDish readers: How do you teach your own children about patriotism and what traditions do you have that help teach your kids more about this holiday?

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With some cities canceling their fireworks celebrations due to budget problems, watching a good old patriotic film might just be the alternative you're looking for. But what to watch? There are so many to choose from? Well, here's a list of a few of my favorite American films. These are mostly family-friendly, although some might be a bit over the heads of younger children.

• Mister Smith Goes to Washington -- Jimmy Stewart is wonderful (as always) as a naive and idealistic senator who finds himself surrounded by greed and corruption in Washington. Stewart, however, sticks to his guns and tries to do the right thing and, in the end, prevails. In America, every man counts and one man can indeed make a difference.
• Dave -- When a corrupt president falls ill, his good-hearted doppelganger is tapped to fill in so the American public don't find out. Instead of being a patsy, he comes to take over and turn the presidency around. It's a fun little film that shows what the presidency should be about -- helping people.
• Young Mister Lincoln -- A classic, fictionalized look at one of our greatest president's early days, this film is fun and uplifting. If only all our presidents could be this upstanding, we'd be a lot better off. Henry Fonda is wonderful as the man he felt was almost too great for him to play.
• The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming -- I first saw this when I was younger and was impressed at how the Americans, after first going into a tizzy when a Russian submarine runs aground on their island, come to understand that regardless of where you come from, we're all just people.
• My Fellow Americans -- Two ex-presidents, running for their lives, get to meet the real people who were affected by their presidencies. It's a reminder that our politicians are there for us, not the other way around. Of course, this is wrapped up in an adventure with danger, corruption, and, of course, a ton of laughs.
• 1776 -- Imagine how much more our founding fathers could have accomplished if only they had broken out into song now and then. Actually, after watching this powerful portrayal of the days leading up to the signing of the declaration of independence, I'm convinced they did. Every time I watch it, I get choked up thinking about what these men went through and what they sacrificed to make this great nation possible. If you only watch one patriotic movie in your life, make it this one.

So there you go, half a dozen films that will make you think about what it means to be an American and what a great country this is. It may not be perfect, but it's pretty darn good and we've got the means built into the system to make it better.

Former boxing heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield hasn't fought a match in a while, but he is still making the newspapers. Unfortunately, he's in the legal notices section and the news isn't good. Holyfield's $10 million estate in Atlanta, Georgia is facing foreclosure and is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

If that wasn't enough to make the champ want to punch someone, he is also facing deadbeat dad charges from one of the mothers of his children. Holyfield has been married just twice, but admits to at least nine children fathered out of wedlock. One of those children is a 10-year-old son with Toi Jenese Irvin. Irvin has gone to court claiming Holyfield is behind on his child support payments and now owes her $9000. She also says that Holyfield hasn't maintained a health insurance policy on their child despite a judge's order to do so.

It sounds like Holyfield is having some serious financial issues and the foreclosure and the child support issue may just be the beginning of things. Irvin's lawyer is aware of this and wants to make sure his client is at the top of the list when what's left of Holyfield's money is disbursed. "My concern is there may be a lot of other mothers not be getting paid, and I would like my client to be at front of the line," says her lawyer, Randy Kessler. And Kessler means business. If Holyfield doesn't pay up, the lawyer wants him tossed in jail. "This is such a small amount given the scope of what he has," Kessler said. "If Evander Holyfield can get away with it, anybody can. There are guys making $15,000 a year who go to jail for missing a $100 payment." Yeah, he's got a point there. I don't know what happened to the reported $200 million Holyfield has earned over the years, but perhaps he should have set a little of it aside to take care of all his kids.

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School shopping is just around the corner. If you're looking to dress your daughters in long prairie dresses and long underwear, then I have just the site for you.

When the 400-plus children of the Yearning for Zion ranch were removed by child protective services earlier this year, the sect's clothing was a major topic of conversation in the media. The enterprising women of the FLDS are building on that attention and have started their own website, where parents can buy princess dresses, overalls, and long underwear for the whole family.

The website started as a way for child protective services to clothe the children in their custody, but is now being turned into a business to help mothers pay bills related to their legal battles. Many have been advised not to return to the ranch, and are having to pay for rent and utilities.

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We're hoping to see some fun Fourth of July photos in the upcoming week, but for now, here's a great shot including our patriotic colors. Happy Fourth of July! Thanks to mistybliss for the shot.

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I admit that I am not all that familiar with Angelina Jolie's body of work. I know plenty about her body, her humanitarian work and her personal life, but I don't see many movies that aren't rated "G". I do know that Jolie gets a lot of positive press and that the only real criticism I've heard concerning her film work is that maybe she shouldn't be doing any with all those kids at home.

But someone has found something to complain about regarding Jolie in her new film, Wanted. Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist in Los Angeles, thinks Jolie is too thin to be an action hero and worries that she presents an unrealistic image of what a strong woman looks like. "A super-thin, super-cool female action hero undoubtedly influences female moviegoers to emulate her," she said. "The underlying message is that being thin gives you power over men: physical and psychological."

Dr. George Pratt, another psychologist, prefers his action figures a little bulkier, like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 and Carrie-Ann Moss in the Matrix films. "There women were represented in a way that displays strength, balance and a healthier body," he says.

Jolie is thin and not exactly what we are used to seeing when it comes to tough chicks in the movies. But it seems to me that there is another way to look at it. Like maybe skinny girls can kick butt, too? Or, it's just a movie and we all know Angelina Jolie isn't really an assassin?

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Sure, you may be friends with your parents. You may also SAY to people that you are friends with your parents. But, really, when you think about who your mom and dad are (granted they are still with us), as people and not as your parents, do you think you'd still be friends with them?

I'm not sure how things were in previous generations, but it seems like lately people have less than ever in common with their parents. That doesn't necessarily make for an un-friendly situation, but it is food for thought. The things we care about may seem different of course, but we haven't lived as long as our parents (in most cases) and we haven't had the same experiences they've had--the kind that change the very core of our beings. Things like having children of our own put us more on the same page with our parents every day, whether we realize it or not.

And perhaps that's what it is--can you be friends with someone with whom you have too much in common? Or does friendship come down to more than things in common versus not? Many people have said to me, I don't have to like my family--they're FAMILY. I've also heard that while you love your family, you may not particularly like them (anyone got that funny uncle everyone's always talking about?). Others feel that they have a strong bond with their parents that outshines that of the biological bond.

What about you? Would you be friends with your parents if they weren't related to you?

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The story of little Madeleine McCann, taken from her bed in the middle of the night while her parents dined at a restaurant nearby, reached every corner of the globe after her parents launched a massive publicity campaign in their attempts to find her.

Sadly, however, despite their efforts and the efforts of Portugal police, Madeline is still missing a year later. The Portuguese police have filed their final police report, and once that goes to the prosecutors office, the case may be closed.

Though I know very little about police work, I have to imagine that authorities giving up the search for their daughter has to be a devastating blow for the McCanns. Sources close to the family say that the McCanns will never give up looking and hope that, if the case is officially closed, the police will hand over the vast amounts of information they have gathered to private investigators.

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Happy 4th of July! Welcome to the one holiday nearly as fun for kids as Christmas, only with fewer financial obligations for parents but with the painful twist of the grand finale (fireworks!) at the very end of the day instead of first thing in the morning.

If you aren't the lucky owner of a cottage or waterfront property (or related to someone who is) it can be really tempting to let the kids plop in front of the television while you work on marinading the steak and prepping the potato salad for a cookout.

However, with just a few craft materials you probably already have lying around and some easy instructions, you can quickly throw together a last minute 4th of July Kid Parade that will be the talk of........well, everyone who was actually around on the 4th! (And if you keep the neighbor kids occupied for a few hours, their parents might even invite yours over to burn some daylight out of gratitude!)