Costumes - Borrowing an Identity

Many of you have been asking about costumes for Halloween. What kind? What should I allow? My daughter/son wants __________ but I think it's too inappropriate/grown up/dangerous/bad role model...the list goes on.

For the last year many of you have been working with me on issues regarding the media circus and the "news" that your children are exposed to even when they don't want to be. TV consumption includes "breaking news" about Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton on a regular basis. These people are not lauded for their positive achievements, to put it mildly.

As politics becomes more celebritized the major issues of the day become cause for "celeb"ration and it's hard to know what to believe or why people are promoting the causes they do. (To those of you who asked about my opinions on Al Gore and the Nobel prize let's leave it at this....)

Tips for Being Proactive About Role Models:

Halloween can be a great time to get a discussion going about heroes.
*What is a hero?
*What makes a person heroic?
*What's the difference between a real hero and someone who just plays one on tv?
*Why is that celebrity getting attention for negative behaviors?
*Whose actions should we pay attention to in the news?

Make a chart with your child listing positive and negative traits.
*Ask questions like why?
*Who has this trait?
*Why is it an important one to have?
*How do you think it can be helpful or hurtful in your life?

Keep a scrapbook (electronic or clippings) of heroes and heroic behavior. Keep it for your own reference and to use as examples with your child when a topic or situation arises.


I was lucky enough to speak with Bryan Brown at Junior Scholastic about the topic. He wrote a terrific article with some of my thoughts on the topic -"Hero or celebrity: don't confuse the glitter of stardom with real heroism" which you can find here - http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Hero+or+celebrity:+don't+confuse+the+glitter+of+stardom+with+real...-a0159390400

Enjoy your weekend!