According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 22% of 8th graders were proficient in civics, and only 13% in US history. If we want our kids to understand our political system, and how it actually works in reality, we’re going to need to roll up our sleeves as parents and do it ourselves.

But fear not, dear friends. Dad is here to help. Starting with this video, and throughout the year, I’m going to be breaking down the basics of how our political system was designed, how it seems to work in reality, and what we as citizens can do about it.

So, in the words of civics advocate and Spielberg movie favorite Richard Dreyfuss, we must “teach our kids how to run our country before they are called upon to run it, or someone else will.”