talking about better role models for our children

Since I wrote “Which came first: dumb t-shirts or dumb attitudes?” I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, reading, watching and writing — trying to figure out how I’m going to help my child become a smart, successful, confident adult.

I’ve also been trying to sort out my feelings for this blog post all week and they are all over the place. There are so many things that make me angry and frustrated, but based on the comments on the t-shirt post, I know I’m not alone. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

We know these attitudes exist and have strong opinions about them, so awareness isn’t the issue for us. Plus, there are plenty of blogs out there already focusing on that. Instead, I’d like to focus on the good.

Here’s a simple analogy: One of the ways to rid your lawn of weeds is not to kill them with poison, but to plant more grass seed. More grass plants will thicken the lawn and prevent weeds from sprouting.

Too many stories about hope, courage, strength, bravery, determination, faith, cooperation and kindness are getting lost in today’s world. I want to celebrate these stories, these people and their work. Our children need better role models than what they are getting.

I’d like to start by talking about the three women who won the Nobel Peace Prize, but they deserve their own post. The documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which focuses on Leymah Gbowee’s work toward peace in Liberia, airs next Tuesday on PBS. I plan to have something written up by then. You can view some powerful clips from the movie here.