Buzz of the Day

I'm Not a Role Model

At work yesterday my boss told me he saw 2nd year Detroit Piston, Rodney Stuckey. They were at the same restaurant. His wife told him to ask if he'd take a picture with their son. Well Mr. Stuckey said no. As he was telling me the story, I started to feel disappointed. I am a Piston fan and I like Stuckey as a player. Then I realized that I don't know him as a person though...and that's okay. These actors, athletes, etc., all are entertainers. They don't have to be our friends. It would be cool if the star players in your home town where super nice, but don't count on it. As we go through these incredibly tough economic hardships, they are still millionaires. Most of them have this attitude that we cannot relate to because of their success.

But that's not my point...

We need to take greater responsibility to be the role models in our young people's lives.

I was watching the "Mr. T." Biography (FYI, that's his legal name). They had the usual people talking about his life and all that good stuff... but they also had his 2 greatest fans. One of the men said that both of his parents were "bikers" and used drugs. He said the Mr. T. was the only person in his life who didn't drink or use drugs. He has a huge tattoo of Mr. T. on his arm!

That's an incredible story...

But what if...Mr. T. was caught in a hotel in New York with drugs, guns, and women in 1986? Thank God Mr. T. has remained consistent in his behavior and message, but that's a lot of influence from a person who doesn't know you.

In a perfect world there would be 2 parents in every home and all pancakes would be perfectly round...not real life.

When you hear about the FBI rescuing 48 suspected teen prostitutes from ages 13-17 nationwide, obviously they needed more positive influences in their lives. These children are labeled "throw-a-way-kids" because they are runaways with no family. More importantly, they feel nobody cares. Whether that's true or not is beside the point. We cant save everyone, but we can damn sure try.

Not just the children in our life but everyone. We are could be one moment away from our lives being turn upside down. Our faith and those around us will give us a stability to combat these potential catastrophic events. Wouldn't it be nice to know you kept someone from going over the edge because of your love and support of them?