I used to think the expectation for public figures to be role models was absurd. Why would we depend on politicians, athletes, actors, or rock stars to influence our children’s understanding of how to behave in the world? Isn’t it wasted energy to focus on how many times some mayor snorted blow off of some hooker’s tits? If someone is doing their job why do we care if they are perverts from 5-9? It is the parent’s responsibility to direct the moral compass of their offspring. Yeah… so now that I have a baby and all that pressure is on me, I find myself wondering where all the role models are?

Any self-reflective person has probably committed some time thinking about how their parents damaged them in one way or another. Sometimes you have the compulsion to tell your mom or dad everything they did wrong, which believe you me, really goes over well. People love to be criticized, analyzed, and picked apart. I suggest doing it during a high stress situation, like a large family gathering, after half a bottle of wine and watching Steel Magnolias. That will get you in just the right mood.

The reason why we hold our parents accountable for so much is because as children, we really do look up to them. Both figuratively and literally, because babies are super short. Remember how when you were young and your mom or dad influenced your consciousness to almost mythic proportions. But as you aged, and could identify their faults and weakness and no longer saw them as the great titans they once were. Suddenly they were just flawed humans trying to get through life like you are.

I can see already how much my energy affects The Munch and it scares me to think how all my crapyness will one day impact her. If I am in a bad mood, or anxious it is so clear to me how that infects her spirit. And just think… this is all still a really subtle energetic exchange. What am I going to do when she actually understands what I say? Or when she is a teenager and wants to know what I was like when I was her age. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

No seriously AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

So that is where the idea of role models is important to a young person’s psyche. If you can spread your inspiration amongst a few adults, then when one of them takes a picture of his wenis, or you find out if your Mom did acid at an Allman Brother’s concert then drove to an ecstasy fueled rave without a license in her friends’ mother’s stolen car, it isn’t such a big deal because there are other’s to respect.

(Doesn’t The Munch have my same stressed out face?”)

(Don’t we both have the same happy face now?)