Do you consider yourself a role model?

I apologize to all of the older DUers, but this question is targeted primarily at those age 16-29.

A lot of people here seem very much involved in political activism. And I know that many of you who have children of your own try to raise your children with the same values that you espouse?

But I'm curious about what it's like for those of you who haven't aged past 30, and/or who haven't had the experience of bringing up children of your own?

Males: how many of you feel compelled to make a conscious effort to be a good influence on young boys? (pre-pubescent, puberty-aged, and mid-teens) If so, how do you accomplish this, and apply it in your everyday life?

Females: how many of you feel compelled to make a conscious effort to be a good influence on young girls? (pre-pubescent, puberty-aged, and mid-teens) If so, how do you accomplish this, and apply it in your everyday life?

How do you interact with family vs. friends vs. acquaintances vs. complete strangers, who are around or under the age of 16?

I'm just curious what different people here feel are important values, and how you actually put those values into practice.

Again, my apologies to the older members here, but I'm mainly curious about hearing from young adults specifically (those who are not yet married or raising children of their own). I'm also looking for a sense of to what extent and in what ways these dynamics are gender-specific (i.e. twentysomething individuals relating to teens and pre-teens).

for how NOT to be. :smoke: I doubt I will have any children. I am gay. Unlikely in the near future anyway. So lucky them.
Some people look up to me. Others do not. Depends on what you are like as a person. But, I am usually well respected by even my political enemies and neighbors in real life.

:kick:
J4Clark

I am gay too, and I don't feel that makes me a bad influence on younger boys.

Like you, I can never imagine myself having kids either. But I always try to be encouraging to younger males and motivate them to always believe in themselves, because I know firsthand what it feels like to be marginalized for being supposedly "not masculine enough."

Males: how many of you feel compelled to make a conscious effort to be a good influence on young boys? (pre-pubescent, puberty-aged, and mid-teens) If so, how do you accomplish this, and apply it in your everyday life?

I am not sure I would be a good influence, but I know I will raise my kid to most important (IMHO) to be self-confident. If you are not self confident when you are an adult, you tend to let alot of great job opportunities slip away, you block yourself from reaching your maximum potential if you are not self-confident and optimistic about your abilities. I will feed him when he is hungry, get a bed for him to sleep on, etc. The basic things you need to live. I will have an advantage because I am a male, I know how males think, so I feel really confident when it comes to raising a boy.

Females: how many of you feel compelled to make a conscious effort to be a good influence on young girls? (pre-pubescent, puberty-aged, and mid-teens) If so, how do you accomplish this, and apply it in your everyday life?
Pretty much everything I said, except I wasn't raised with a sister. So I am not really aware the changes women go through to adult hood. But if I do have a child, I will raise him/her the best to my abilities.

How do you interact with family vs. friends vs. acquaintances vs. complete strangers, who are around or under the age of 16?
I don't have a problem with getting along with them, but ever since I was real young. I hung out with people older then me because I was into stuff older people were into. What I feel are important values, you don't murder or steal which is basic. Even when I was doing alot of bad stuff, I never stole because I thought it was morally wrong. Try to get an education is very important to me, without that, you want get far especially in Bush's America. I hope I covered pretty much what you wanted but I don't feel like I did.

a role model regardless of whether I really want to be.

I'm a little too tired to try to answer this question in depth, but suffice to say that I just try to lead by example. I tell my students that I will never made them follow any rule that I won't follow myself, like being respectful towards others.