Identity Theft

Hi my name is, nice to meet you, what do you do?

This is something we were programmed to do along the way, right away when meeting someone new, or getting to know someone. Why is that? Are we really what we do, is what we do who we are…Nine times out of ten we aren’t. Most of us are not in the line of work that best describes us, yet it is so important to know the answer to that question.

Wouldn’t it be more accurate or appropriate to ask “ How do you like to spend your time, or “do you have a passion in your life?” You have heard me say over and over that as parents our modeling behavior is the best teaching opportunity we show our kids. What are we showing our children when we model these types of questions of “what do you do”? Is that simple question projecting to our children that our identity should lie within an action, or in an outcome? What are we doing as parents, as a society to help inspire self esteem, value, self worth.

Since I started MASK back in 2007 it has helped me truly dissect behaviors. Also actions to help me recognize how things can impact children.

Society has impressed on children the labels of sports and beauty. Clearly creating a line of separation between boys and girls. Boys are accepted by what sport they play and girls are noticed by how they look or what they wear. What about the children who are outside of the lines? How about the boy who dances, or the girl who plays football.

How are they viewed? And what are our initial reactions as adults, or better yet what are the reactions of their peers. Self worth should not come from outlets or outcomes; it is something that develops from character. As parents we spend hours at sporting events and buying name brands for our kids. But how much time do we take to help them develop their character, their morals, their choices, their dreams, their own thought.

At the end of the day these are the important attributes that will help them be who they were meant to be.

Whether your child is that all-star, beauty queen, or the someone in between, be sure that when they take off their labels. There is more to them than beats the eye.

By//Kimberly Cabral
Founder / Publisher
MASK

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