I remember when I thought Rafael Palmeiro and Kenny Rogers were good guys. That they would make good neighbors and would suitable for kids to emulate. Now I and millions of others know better.
Whom should your kids look up to? I think, given what we know now, that it's risky to hold up professional athletes as role models. Well, you say, what about those athletes who espouse Christianity...guys like David Robinson, John Wetteland, and Curt Schilling? Those fellas are mostly admirable, particularly D.R, but I'm not sure our kids should model their lives after superstars whose income is likely to warp their perspective of life sooner or later.
Instead, I would let my children see as much of this type of person as possible: the "ordinary" person who manages to be the quintessential Christian servant. These folks are everywhere at church...those who selflessly give their time over and over again, many times doing thankless tasks that either nobody wants or nobody knows about. Let the kids spend an afternoon or a weekend with these servants and absorb the benefits through osmosis of being humble and caring.
These are the real heroes. Also, this is precisely the type of person I want to be for my grandkids.
Let the modeling begin!
1 comment:
Interesting post.
And interesting you brought up David Robinson and wealth. David had to feel out of place as did I when he walked into the Sunday morning class I was teaching on Finances in Marriage. That particular Sunday, the subject was debt. First thought was, "What a Sunday for him to come to my class." But the class and I got to see a side of DR that the normal person hasn't had the chance to see. David could have excused himself from something that did not pertain to him, but instead he spoke up (I hope he doesn't mind me telling you this). He openly talked about the dires of debt he incurred at the Naval Academy and the lessons he took from it. Oh sure, it's a story and lesson only a small class got to hear, but what a great lesson he shared, much better than what I prepared that day.
I hear the cautiousness in your post and understand what you are saying, but I think there are a few exceptions to the rule.
BTW, Curt Schilling? Had no idea. Does the president of PitchTrax know?
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