Who is Your Hero?

When I was a little girl, my dad was my hero. As a teenager, I worshipped rock stars and movie stars. In fact, I probably still have a little crush on Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone. What?? You don't recognize that name? He was Herman of Herman's Hermits.

What?? You still don't know who he is? Well, neither do a lot of people. And that is what happens when your idols are stars. They flare up brightly then disappear. In my book I encourage parents to introduce real people who have done something extraordinary to their kids. On my radio show next week, Brad Meltzer is my guest. He has written a wonderful book to help parents do just that, entitled Heroes for My Son in which he briefly discusses several people who have made a mark on the world. He also has a blog on the website, http://www.herosformyson.com in which he presents lesser known people who have also been extraordinary in some way.

My advice to parents is to talk to your kids about why we look up to people who seem bigger than life, who we should look up to, and how it should affect our lives. If your child's favorite football star gets accused of rape, talk to him about it. Let him know that all people are human and fallible. And especially let him know that not all of their actions should be imitated.

If your daughter wants to copy a rock icon, look to see what she likes about that star. Let her know that some outfits are great for the stage, but not to be worn to the mall. Focus her on the reality that the star's life is not her life. And discuss how the star got to where she is--what work did she have to do to get there? How many years did it take? What sacrifices did she make?

Interest your child in biographies of real people. Amelia Earhart was, and is, a hero to me. I read all I could find about her when I was a kid. Let your child see the struggles people go through like Helen Keller and Anne Frank. They will learn that if those people can triumph and succeed, then they can also. Show them by examples that life is not always easy and it is not all about them. But if they work hard and believe in themselves, good things will come to them and/or to others.

We are humans. God has given us an amazing ability to rise to any challenge, to triumph over adversity, to scale or tunnel under any obstacle in our path. Others have done it and so can we!

And who is my hero now? Well, I am back to my dad.