What it Means to Be a Role Model
Everyone plays different roles in life. Roles are social responsibilities or parts that people play in different situations. At work, for instance, someone might be a teacher; at home, they are a parent, spouse or child. Parents model the roles that children will play in society as adults through their behavior. Children imitate the behaviors of their parents and are influenced by them more than any other person or group of people.
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Significance
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Children need role models for a lot of reasons. Role models help kids feel more secure in their identities. Young people often compare themselves with others, searching for their own identities and ways of being in the world. Having an adult to compare themselves with greatly increases their confidence in their own decisions. It's like having what they know is the right behavior reflected back at them in a real and justifiable way.
The Facts
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Even if parents are not actively trying to be a role model, it is likely that they still are their child's primary role model. Children learn from their parents from the time they are infants. They learn to talk, eat, walk, socialize with others, manage their emotions and complete their responsibilities from their parents. Children have great trust in their parents, an "innate trust" that is embedded in their earliest memories, according to Healthy Place.
Modeling Behavior
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Parents should model the appropriate behavior for their children in all aspects of life. They should model work behavior by completing their own responsibilities in a timely and efficient manner. Parents should also be good role models of other behaviors like assertiveness, kindness and managing emotions. If parents lose their temper often, for instance, children will learn that it is okay to express your anger freely, regardless of who is around. They may wind up displaying hostility in front of their own children as adults.
Modeling Relationships
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Parents can be positive models for their children's social relationships. If a parent regularly brings home friends who are obviously rude or take advantage of the friendship, for example, it is likely that children will think friendships like this are acceptable and begin negative relationship patterns of their own. The home environment also provides the strongest model for romantic relationships in a person's life. If parents are affectionate and caring toward one another, this will likely be the standard to which children hold their own romantic relationships.
Active Role Modeling
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Being a role model also means communicating with your child about your expectations and values. If a teen is in what is obviously a verbally or emotionally abusive relationship, for instance, you should talk with them openly about their boyfriend's behaviors and compare the relationship to your own. Teens, especially, are confused about their social roles and expectation. Clear communication means being a proactive and effective role model. Being a positive role model also means taking an active role in the child's life. If children don't feel important to their parents, they may take the parental relationship as relatively unimportant and ignore their role models.
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