This is a letter to all the athletes, singers, actors, actresses and anyone else in the spotlight:
While I believe in freedom of expression and speech, there are many children around the world who idolize and look up to you.
With your celebrity status and all that it gives you, please remember that it also puts you in the spotlight and makes children want to emulate you.
In this day and age, parenting children is tougher than ever as they are exposed to the world through an abundance of technology. So I ask that you think twice before you tweet naked pictures of yourself, drive drunk, do drugs, fist fight, bully and all the other horrific things we have seen lately on the news.
How are we to teach our children that sexting is wrong, not to drink and drive, or do drugs – how can we teach them to think before you speak, think before you post – if the adults they idolize are teaching the opposite lessons by their example.
It is important to model for children appropriate behaviors, and as parents, it’s accepted that it is our responsibility to do that. But when you are in the spotlight and you know that children look up to you, don’t you think that you also have some type of responsibility to try to make good decisions?
I am not a “prude” but when I wake up in the morning to read headlines like:
“Rihanna tweets topless photos”
“Hulk Hogan doesn’t know who is in sex tape with him”
“Bounty payments in football”
and so many more like that.
I have to ask: Do you think about things before you do them? Do you understand you have been given a privilege and with that gift, you could do so much good in the world?
Before you tweet, make a sex tape, get paid to hit, bully, drive drunk – please consider your good fortune of being where you are in life and think of all the children watching what you are doing and wanting to be “YOU.” And maybe, just maybe, that thought might make you stop and think and make a smarter choice.
