Role Models and Heroes

I was recently talking to Grandson #1 and he was telling me about how great his parents are. It turns out, at least according to him, that his dad is the most fun parent EVER. Yes, in the eyes of a six year old,  my son-in-law is the most fun guy on the planet…. but that’s not all…his mom (aka my daughter)
is the smartest woman in the world.  Of course, I ask for clarification. I say, “In the whole world?”  He
assures me that he has included every other person in the world and she
is the smartest.  He went on to say “His mom is never wrong.”

NOTE:  In full disclosure, I think both his parents are fun and smart. If either has a problem with aforementioned assessment,  they need to take it up with their kid and get the 411 on how they were graded.

Anyway,  at six years
old, I am sure the day will come that he will not be so adamant  about his mom being beyond making mistakes or his dad being the most fun EVER, but for now I am not going to mention any of the  “oopsies” that I might have knowledge of. ( Another NOTE:  yes, daughter, the details of you wrecking two cars in the same week when you were 16 is safely tucked away…for the time being.)

I love that G-Boy #1  has this image of his parents.  That’s how it should be. Don’t kids deserve role models? 

First Thought:   Where Does One Look For Role Models?

I am firmly rooted in my belief that all kids of all ages deserve to be surrounded with good role models. It’s a given that the people in their day-to-day life such as family, teachers, clergy, etc. should be setting a good example for them to follow, but what about the people they see and hear about outside of their daily lives. 

As a child of the 1950′s, I grew up in an era far more shrouded in naivety than today’s world. I am sure there
was plenty of  foolishness going on even then,  but the media didn’t have the
capacity to splash every spicy detail across the airwaves.  With limited
television programming and NO Internet we had the luxury of believing
in our heroes minus the scandals.   Little people
believed that their parents knew everything, that the  “good guys” on
television would triumph over evil and the the bad guy would get
defeated in the end.

Even if the 1950′s were WAY before your time, I am sure you can remember some sports heroes prior to the term “performance enhancing drugs” or those of you with really good memories might remember  when elected officials were considered leaders and not politicians? 

Needless to say, a lot of our heroes, role models and idols have come and gone.
They rode off into the sunset just as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans did but
without singing “Happy Trails to you until we meet again.”

Times have changed.  Kids today are not as clueless as those of us that grew up before technology   .  How could they be?  They hear and see so much more than we did and much of it deals with content that is geared for a more mature audience.

I am not saying there aren’t people out there that are aren’t heroic, or noble or deserving to be placed in the category of being a good role model.  We hear about giving, caring people in the news on a regular basis.  What I am talking about today is about celebrities that no longer want to create a positive role model.  Whether we are talking sports, entertainment, and even public figures, there seems to be a trend that people that have gained fame and recognition often do what will get them noticed.  Any publicity is good publicity, so I hear.
 

Thought Number Two:  Why do people want to be notorious instead of noteworthy?

I don’t know why, as of late, that  being a role model is a bad thing?

Recently, I have listened, in part, to several  interviews from actors and actresses that were “child stars”.  Repeatedly they say they are trying to distance themselves from their childlike persona. Nearly any of the Disney kids have gone to some type of extreme makeover to let us know they are no longer friends with Micky and Minnie Mouse.  Who knew that “wholesome” is such a horrible thing to be associated with? 

The most recent example of that is Miley Cyrus.  She wants to assure everyone that she is a grown-up and that the sweet Hannah Montana is gone for good.  We got it…Hannah turned into an oversexualized freak show. BUT…the crowds still come out enmasse for her. 

Why are fans still fans?

Come Join Top Sites Tuesday and be #1 on BlogDumps!
The purpose of this Meme is to encourage
Networking between bloggers and to have fun while doing it!
Make sure to visit all the other participants and leave comments I am a veteran of corporate moves. Having moved 21 times while my husband climbed the corporate ladder while dragging me up… rung by rung over the course of our 40+ year marriage. I used to delude myself into thinking
that I was middle-age but now realize that I would have to live to be 116 to justify that term. If wisdom comes with age, I am wiser than some, older than many, and more cynical than most. My blog is to jot down the nonsense I
see, hear and think about while I still have all my faculties working.

Source: http://www.artofbeingconflicted.com/2013/10/role-models-and-heroes.html