I title this blog knowing full-well I am not a super model in the way most people think of one.  I am 5’7″, a size 6, and have legs that seem to stop abruptly instead of going on and on.  I cannot change up my look amazingly, strut, or focus straight ahead of me for a long period of time.  

But, when it comes to modeling appropriate behavior to my children, I consider myself a “Super” model.  I am far from perfect, but I work hard to show my children my best side and my best behavior.  I have grown-ups in my life who know I can be inappropriate and I am not afraid to show it to them.  With my children and the children with whom I work though, I try to put my best self forward at all times.

Just this morning, my 6-year old, Stella, woke me about 7:15 to prove that my behavior affects hers immensely.  She said her “timer” was going off and that she had to get to up.  When I reminded her it was Saturday and that there wasn’t school, she said “Oh, I know.  I have to get up because I am writing a book.”  She knows how faithful I am to my alarm…when it sounds, I get up immediately without hitting the snooze button or lingering under the covers.  She knows that I have been writing a novel as well as fine-tuning my infant-toddler curriculum.  She sees that writing is important to me, that it says something important to others, and that the words and ideas float around in your mind until you put them down in the act of writing.

After completing my morning routine (again, good modeling!), I ask to see the book she was writing.  She handed me “Nate and Me,” a story about her and her good friend Nate.  The pages have pictures of them together and the words tell me “He is cute,” “We hold hands,” “I play with him” and (most importantly) “I love him,” written in her all-capitals, kindergartener way complete with misspellings of “and” and “hold.” 

She writes because I model writing.  She loves because I model loving behavior.  She talks about the importance of enjoying friends and making connections with people because this is the behavior I model.  It’s not just my modeling, of course, as there are plenty of other people in her life who model positive and appropriate behaviors.  But, as her mom, I know I hold a special place in her life as the “Super” model.