Why Kids Need a Role Model Now More Than Ever

What kids can learn from the right role model

According to Antiglio, in her opinion, the right role model is the one that empowers you. She adds, “A person you feel positively inspired by, safe with, and that instils curiosity, confidence and the desire to explore new facets of yourself. Or simply someone who gives you a moment of undivided attention and love.” With the world becoming a more complex place to live and thrive, younger generations are exposed to excessive information and more images than ever, and it becomes challenging for them to distinguish their degree of importance. Dominique Antiglio, best-selling author, qualified Sophrologist and Founder of BeSophro.com, reveals the reasons why a role model or a mentor is essential to help kids connect to themselves, feel valued, and how to make sense of this information.

What kids/teens can learn from a role model

She reiterates, “If I think about my own mentor who I met at age 15 as I was experiencing health issues, she opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. She was a Sophrologist in my native Switzerland and she taught me simple exercises based on breathing, relaxation, visualization and movement to help me connect and listen to my body and empower me with a new level of confidence and strength.

She adds, “I realized that the symptoms I was experiencing at the

time were linked with the fact I hadn’t been supported to deal with my emotions and therefore, I was reaching my limit emotionally. I understood that emotions are part of life, that they can be processed and can contribute to make me feel in the driving seat of my life.” Basically, a role model is someone that teaches others by their own behaviors, knowledge and presence. There are many qualities that children can learn from role models, she adds, from perseverance, self-care, resilience, and communication to emotional balance, kindness, curiosity or contribution. “It is a lot about what we wrongly call ‘soft skills’ as these skills are probably becoming the most important ones to learn to deal with today’s modern world,” she says. “Academic knowledge is something that can always be learned, but soft skills take longer to get if you haven’t been exposed early and they influence the quality of your life and your resilience and happiness.”

Parents being inspiring towards their kids

Being true to ourselves and honest with our children as much as possible and by looking after ourselves and journeying with awareness, Antiglio reveals can help parents become inspiring towards their own kids. She adds, “That means acceptance of our imperfections and working on them. By trying to be happy with who we are and creating the life we want and deserve.”

Tips for Parents and Teachers to Help Inculcate a Sense of Inspiration in their Kids/Teens:

• Engage, expect and speak to them in an age appropriate way. We often expect a lot too soon. Understanding what the brain is able to do at each age is a way to respect their tempo and manage our own expectations.

• Listen to them. We can’t expect our kids to come and look for support through difficult situations if when they were small, we never gave them space to listen to their pain or struggles with the simplest aspects of life.

• Spend time in nature. Nature and exercise is a great way to balance the impact of screens and modern life.

• Teach them Sophrology. Practice a few minutes a week with them doing some breathing, relaxation or body awareness exercises.

• When you are worried or have strong emotions, explain to them how you deal with it. This is such a great skill to have in life.

• Believe they can teach you something. Being curious around them is giving them the confidence they need to learn and thrive.

• Don’t think you need to be perfect.

Embrace your flaws and be yourself and apologize when needed. They will love you for it.

(Credit: Dominique Antiglio, Best Selling Author, Qualified Sophrologist and Founder of BeSophro.com) H

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