Greetings everyone. I want to thank @steemkidss Community for this beautiful contest. Glad to be a participant.
In this contest we are looking at how we can serve as steemit role model to the kids. Before we can further discuss this, we need to know who a role model is and the idea behind role modelling. Role model is a phrase made up of two words ''role and model".
The english dictionary divines role model as
A person who serves as an example, whose behavior is emulated by others.
This definition is very clear for all to understand.
Having established this foundation, let's proceed to dissect our discussion under the sub headings
During my primary school days, there's this popular song we sang.
Parents listen to your children, we are the leaders of tomorrow. Try and pay our school fees and give us sound education.
I don't know if you sang that song during your school days but it says it all. Children are the future. They will replace us tomorrow. Some years ago I was a child and my parents were way younger. Now they are getting old and I've replace them. As the years go by I'll replace my parents and my children will take my place and the cycle continues. So from this it's obvious that the kids will replace all of us tomorrow. Children are the future we see today. Having understood this possibility, it means we should be very careful with how we deal with children and what we teach them as all of it will reflect tomorrow.
I have observed that Children learn more from actions than from words. They do more of what they see us do that what we say. Having this knowledge in mind, I'll influence the kids by ensuring I have the right character. The character of a man is the man. I can influence the kids by
• been honest and telling the truth to them and others
• by been kind to them and people around me and by encouraging and giving compliments to them and rebuking them gently.
• by been hard working and shunning laziness.
• by dressing decently
• by watching healthy programs on TV especially when am with them.
• by watching my vocabulary and saying the right things, not cursing or using abusive words.
• by been courteous and talking respectfully to people
• by teaching them simple morals and courtesies.
As I do all these, they watch, learn and do. The best way to be an example is by doing, then teaching. If you teach what you don't do, you won't achieve much results.
Yes am confident that I can influence the children around me. Having talked about how I can influence the kids around me, the strategies talks about action plans which includes;
• I will always tell the truth and teach them the importance of telling the truth. Truthfulness and honesty are right character virtues to imbibe. I've seen scenarios where some parents tell the kids to lie. Example, a parent is hiding from a vistor and sights the visitor from afar, the parents will tell the child to tell the visitor that he or she is not around and the child does that. This is a typical bad example and sooner or later, that child starts lying because of the influence the parents has cast on him or her. So as a role model an simply saying I should be emulated. So I should never encourage a child to lie no matter the situation. When I say I'll do a thing, I should stand by my words and do it. They watch and learn as well.
• Been kind to people by my actions towards them. Practically helping people in need and putting smiles on people's face through little little acts of kindness. Been eager to help children without feeling irritated. Helping kids involves encouraging them, praising them and Sharing in their thoughts even though it may not make sense to you. Let them feel welcomed.
A practical example I experienced on how kids feel when you just listen to them happened when I went to visit my friend over the weekend. Her little cousin named Ebube came to stay for a while with her. While I was sitting in the parlour watching movie, he just brought a piece of paper and showed me the drawing of spider man he drew in school.
I noticed he just wanted to share that experience with someone. So I said wooow ur drawing is fine. I snapped it with my phone and took a selfie with him and the drawing and told him I was going to upload it on the internet. He was so happy. He gave me a hug and went away singing that he is going to be famous. He told me to put his name when uploading it so that his classmates will know that he is the one that drew it. Little acts of kindness like this may not mean much to us but it does a whole lot to them. I was just happy seeing that I put a smile on his face.
• I will ensure to shun all form of laziness and keep my environment clean thereby teaching them to be hard working. Nothing good comes easily. Washing plates, clothes and cleaning the house and also encourage them to get involved in simple house chores.
• Dressing decently at all times and watching educating television programs with them. I can reset the TV programs so that they can view only educating programs and not be unnecessarily exposed to the improper television programs.
• By consciously avoiding the use of curses and negative words on them and people around. Many parents and adults fall victims to this. They curse their kids and others with bad words at slightest provocations. This should be avoided else the kids will grow up cursing everyone around them and been disrespectful.
• Treating people with respect and teaching them good morals and simple courtesies like how to greet, how not to take things from strangers, how to say thank you and show appreciation for gestures done to them etc.
These are some of the strategies through which I can influence the kids around me.
My role model is my mother. Her pattern of training was worthy of emulating. She was honest, kind and hard working. She taught me how to do basic house hold chores and how to cook. She didn't tolerate any form of laziness or lying. She dressed decently and was kind to me and others around. She did her best to instill discipline in my siblings and I. She single handedly took care of us when we lost our dad 16 years ago. When I look at her, I see a woman who is worth emulating and I intend to do more to be a role model to the kids around me too just like she was to me.
Kids around us learn more through observation. Every adult should be a model to the kids around them. They are the future. If we teach them rightly especially through our actions, they will yield beautiful results of which we will be proud of.
Thank you for going through my blog. Your comments are welcomed. I invite @giftye, @amazyingcyndy, @hyacinthfavour to participate in this contest.