Off The Cuff

Our Teens Have Heroes Too

Posted by: From Arkansas in Family stuff, Just Stuff, Odds And Ends on Jan 27 2008

Welcome back!

When I was a kid, I had a hero or two. One was my Dad, of course. He was awesome. I was a tiny bit afraid of him because of my hero worship though. He could not do anything wrong! Then, I also had Superman as a hero for a number of years. I collected all the comics I could find. On a side note, I sure wish I still had those comics today.

I had hoped to learn how to fly before I turned 10 but that did not happen. I was devastated when it occurred to me that the only real reason he could fly was because he was from out of town…..way out of town. I guess I was a little dense.

Today’s teens and preteens are no different. Well, they might be a bit more savvy than I was but otherwise not much different. The problem here is that the heroes are falling from their pedestals right and left. The teens look up to athletes, movie stars, teen heartthrobs, singers and more. Hardly a week goes by that we do not hear about some teen star or athlete who is going into drug rehab to get clean. This is really not the picture the kids should have of a hero.

So, what can we do to change that? Hopefully, we can guide our young people to seek new heroes such as their pastors, their parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers or some friend. When Hannah Montana is their hero, there is definitely something wrong. She is almost like a cartoon character. The preteen lives a double life. She is secretly a pop singer with her dad as manager. The show stars Miley Cyrus who just happens to be the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus. He plays her show father.

Before you teens and parents start to attack here, I have nothing against these people at all. It’s a television show. But that’s what has to be remembered. These people are playing characters. I saw a clip from a concert with Miley Cyrus and she was still playing Hannah Montana. She does not change out of character.

Perhaps it’s time for the parents and the teens and preteens to sit down and talk this over, make sure everyone understands what is reality and what is fiction. I suspect that there are teens and preteens that do not see the difference when the hero is right there in the news.

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