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10 Aug 2006 10:22 AM

Who Is Your Child's Role Model?

by Teresa McEntire | More from this Blogger

Having a positive role model is important, especially for teenagers. Doctors Yancey, Siegel, and McDaniel found that teenagers who have a positive role model have higher self-esteem. They are also less likely to get involved in substance abuse and usually do better in school.

So who is your child's role model? Chances are it is you. In a recent survey of teenage girls done for Gillette Company "nearly half of all respondents (48 percent) chose their own mothers as the best examples of 'inner beauty.'" More teen girls (46%) looked to their mothers as a role model and as a source of trusted advice over friends or celebrities. In the 2003 "State of our Nation's Youth" 46% of teens said their role model is a family member. Another report published in "Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine" surveyed 750 teenagers and found that 42 percent named a relative as their greatest role model. So whether you know it or not chances are, you are your child's role model.

What does this mean for you as a parent? It means that you have the ability to be a great influence in your child's life. By setting a good example for your child you are providing a positive role model for them to follow. It is important that as a parent you make good choices in your own life and encourage your child to do the same. Talk to your child about drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and premarital sex. Letting your child know where your opinion on the issues will help inspire them to take the same stand.

Star Jones, lawyer and previous co-host of "The View," claims her parents were her role models saying, "I was just encouraged to be the best 'me' that I could be. That is the greatest gift you can give a child; the freedom and self-confidence to be themselves."

Who has been a role model in your own life?

For more information about how you can be a positive role model in your child's life read my upcoming blog "10 Ways To Be A Positive Role Model."

Learn more about Teresa McEntire

Teresa McEntire grew up in Utah the oldest of four children. She currently lives in Kuna, Idaho, near Boise. She and her husband Gene have been married for almost ten years.

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