THE youths are still young. They cannot still do everything on their own. They are still minors and cannot still decide on their own. They still need the guidance of their parents, guardians, teachers, and other adults. They need to be helped and to be guided by adults around them. Adults must teach their children and other youths the right path in life.
Adults must be serving the role models of the youths. They must be the youth’s role models in every aspect of life. Adults must be doing the right things, so the children will also be doing the right things. If the kids see adults doing something wrong, they might think it is good or okay since the adults are doing it. In other words, adults must be cautious enough with what they are doing.
According to the article “Role Models and Children” ( March 2017 ), a role model is a person who serves as an example by influencing others. The most important role models for many children are their parents and caregivers. Children look up to various role models to help shape their behavior in school, in relationships, or when making difficult decisions. Children also look up to other relatives, teachers, coaches, and peers. Negative role models, however, may also influence children. Sometimes widely admired public figures can make poor personal choices. Young children may assume that the behaviors of negative role models are typical, safe, and acceptable. Parents and caregivers can intervene by emphasizing those role models who embrace inappropriate behavior, violence, racism, sexism, and drug and alcohol abuse that are unacceptable.
Adults must ensure that they are doing the right things so that the youths can be influenced or motivated to do the right things. Adults must not be serving as negative role models to the children. Instead, they must be acting as positive role models for the youths. It is because positive role models can boost the youths’ motivation by modeling a guide to achieving success in life. If parents and other adults are doing the right things in life, the kids will also be doing the right things since they can see their parents and other adults doing the right things. Adults must be careful about what they are doing because the youths always look up to them.
At home, parents and guardians must be careful with what they are doing for the sake of their children. It is because if parents and guardians are doing the wrong ones, their children will also do it since their parents and guardians are also doing it. Children will imitate what their parents and guardians are doing. On the contrary, if the parents and guardians are doing the right things, their children will also be doing the right things in their respective lives.
Teachers and other educational leaders must also be doing the right things in school. It is simply because their students are also looking up to them. Youths also consider their teachers and other educational leaders their role models. If the teachers and other educational leaders are doing something wrong, the students will imitate them because their teachers and other educational leaders are doing it.
In the community, adults and other community leaders, including government officials, must also be doing the right things since the youths look up to them as their role models. Like other adults, if they are doing something wrong or something illegal and immoral, the kids might do it also. They might imitate what these adults are doing. So, they must also be careful in what they are doing from time to time. They must only be doing the right things so the youths will do the right things in their lives.
Adults must engrave in their respective hearts and minds that they must be serving as good role models to the youths around them. They must avoid doing something wrong, illegal and immoral so that the kids will not also do it. Let us not forget that whatever the youths see that adults are doing, for sure children will also do it; the youths will imitate those things since they think they are proper as the adults around them are doing it. Adults must be positive role models to the children, not negative ones.
