Being your child's Role Model

         
                    As a single parent, you will most likely be the most consistent presence in your child's life.Think about all the things you do on a daily basis,the good and the bad.Now, how would you feel if your child began to emulate your decisions?
                    For those of us who live squeaky clean lives you probably wouldn't mind, but unfortunately,that is not the reality for most of the world.
                    Our children are quite impressionable and there are many influences outside our homes waiting to instill in them a false sense of love,loyalty and respect.
                    As the head of our households, we must insist on being our child's role model.We must show by example the importance of education and instill within them the bricks to build up their self esteem. As a single mother to a daughter (age 7) and two boys (ages 9 and 3 ), I believe the way we  go about this should be as different as they are.
                  For my daughter,first and foremost, I have tried to model self-sufficiency.I don't want her to feel she has to depend on anyone ;I want her to have her own.Also,though few and far in between, I have tried to show her the need to respect yourself in relationships, and have been mindful of how I allow others to treat me in front of her.Last but not least, I make a point to emulate for her how a little girl should carry herself at home and in public...proper hygeine,how to sit in a skirt,etc.
                 As for my sons,there are some areas in which I am not qualified,such as sports.For that I have had to reach out to my father,but you may choose whomever best fits the job for you.But what I can teach them,which is of most importance to me,is how to treat the women in their lives. I won't even allow them to hit their sister in horseplay,though I am sure they sneak a few in here and there.As a former victim of domestic violence, I know all to well how that affects a woman's life....her appearance,her heart and her self esteem. I also try to model for them the need to make an honest living,no matter what.I made sure my kids saw the struggle I endured while working full- time and going to nursing school part-time;they also watched in pride,alongside grandma and granddaddy, as I walked the stage and earned my LPN license 3 months later.Sure they don't have all the latest gadgets that society markets as a "must have" every other week; but they have what they need and don't have to worry about it being snatched away.Last but not least, I push education, how they should dress (no pants hanging off their butt) and how to conduct themselves in public.
                Being your child's role model is no easy task.But it is a necessary one, if we are to one day send them out into society confident enough to run the world,not so weak as to be run by it.