Search Results for: blog we are our kids role models

Is Your Child’s Idol a Loser?

She loved one of her songs, but thankfully, my daughter is not in love with pop sensation Miley Cyrus. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. The former “Hannah Montana” star has legions of young fans, though much to their parents’ chagrin. According to a new poll, 68% of parents say they can’t stand the 19-year-old and wish their children would idolize someone else. Moms and dads claim their displeasure with Cyrus stems from her public transformation from squeaky-clean Disney star to risqué, half-naked punk performer. Joining Cyrus on the list of most unpopular teen role models is another disgraced … Continue reading →

Doc McStuffins: A Revolutionary Role Model

For once Disney seems to be doing something right. Its primary role models for girls have, for years, been princesses. Sure, the ones created in the past couple years have been more dynamic, with more in their lives than just wishing that “someday my prince will come,” but at the end of the day, they’re princesses. That’s usually the notes on which their movies end. They’ve found men or are living in a castle: that’s the happily ever after. The princesses are also all so very “white as snow.” Most of the princesses are white, and everyone else just gets … Continue reading →

Don’t Let The Media Parent Your Children

Sometimes I let Hailey watch too much TV. It’s an easy habit to fall into, especially when you are a single parent and there are so many things to do. You plop your child in front of the television, just for a few minutes so you can get something done and a habit is started. All the media in our children s lives is like another influence in the house. Our children are bombarded with messages and even if we are diligent about what they watch they may still see things that go against our values. Many shows that you … Continue reading →

Mom Robs Bank for Kids

Well, something like that. How many times have you considered robbing a bank in order to score some fast cash? Most of us joke about committing the federal offense at some time or another, especially during tough economic times. Of course, a joke is just that; something to laugh about. I’m sure most people don’t actually make serious plans to carry out the risky and illegal job. That goes double for parents. After all, parents are supposed to be role models for their kids and what kind of example are you setting if you are rotting in a jail cell … Continue reading →

Resources for Learning the History of Other Cultures

When I decided to adopt from Korea, I knew next to nothing about the culture. In what little mention of them there is in books, Korea, Vietnam, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia are often presented as victim nations, poor and often governed by puppet regimes of other countries. This is not great for self-esteem. (Regarding self-esteem: I’ve always thought some women were too sensitive to non-inclusive language. I’ve always been fine assuming that “all men” included me. But as I get older I see subtle discrimination more than I ever thought I would, and I realize the power of hearing … Continue reading →

Study Shows Most Bullied Kids are Overweight

This fascinating new study reveals that overweight children are typically a bully’s prime targets. While you might not consider this “breaking news,” it is very revealing in that it shows that kids who are picked on avoid situations where they are bullied, such as gyms, playgrounds, and other sporting events. The very places children go to burn off calories. According to the study, roughly one out of every five children is chronically bullied, and in most cases repeated teasing and taunting leads to depression and loneliness. This finding coupled with the fact that bullies drive their victims away from physical … Continue reading →

Past Olympians Continue to be Role Models with Adoption Stories

As Olympic fever dies down, we can continue to help our children to realize the normalcy and frequency of adoption by looking at past Olympians. Learning about their lives before and since their Olympic moment reinforces to our children that these are real people. Earlier this month, I blogged about Lopez Lomong and Reese Hoffa, Olympic athletes who represented the U.S.A. in Beijing this year. They both have interesting adoption stories. More than a dozen past Olympic athletes were also adopted. You may remember the) story of Toby Dawson, a U.S. skier who was adopted from Korea at the age … Continue reading →

Thank Your Kids Now and Again

As parents and role models, we want our children to learn how to say “thank you” and “please” and use other modes of good manners. Many of us also want to foster a sense of appreciation and gratitude in our children and help them learn how to let people know that they are thankful for help and such. In the process of doing all this, it is important that we parents remember that we can model appreciation and let our children know that we are grateful for the things they do by remembering to tell them “thank you” now and … Continue reading →

How Much Forgiveness Should We Model?

As role models for our kids, we parents have tall orders—we have to set an example and model desirable character traits and behaviors, but we also have to allow for some flaws and humanity. One of the things I know that single parents can model for our kids is forgiveness—such an important life lesson. We might start to wonder, however, how MUCH forgiveness we should model and when our forgiveness lessons have crossed over into co-dependency? I think about forgiveness in two pieces—there are the little, daily constant infractions that we need to learn how to let go of and … Continue reading →

Are You Prepared for Your Kids to Do the Same Thing(s) You Do?

Many parents will admit that they want their child or children to “do better” than they have—whether it is get farther in school, or go through less struggles and trials, or, for many of us it is just a matter of hoping that our children do not pick up our bad habits or make some of the big mistakes that we have. Unfortunately, many of us “hope” that they won’t pick up bad habits or make unsavory choices—meanwhile, we are modeling the very behaviors we DON’T want our children to pick up… Not a one of us is perfect, but … Continue reading →