I believe parents should be the ultimate role models for their children. I was fortunate to have very loving and caring parents who taught me the value of hard work, dedication and most importantly discipline. Not only the punishment type of discipline but also the discipline of self control, responsibility and ethics. Maybe they all can be considered some form of discipline. Both of my parents worked full time and eventually retired. Each one worked over 30 years for the same company. It is because of my parents that I also strive to raise my children with the same values and morals. I believe children should be brought up in a loving and nurturing environment yet ensure they have the capability to know right from wrong and what the consequences will be if they make the wrong choice. As a role model, I want to live and conduct myself in a way which would make my children proud of me. I want my children to see the way I handle adversity as well as abundance. I want them to see me pray, not only when I am going through a difficult time, but because I truly believe that God deserves praise for everyday blessings. I also believe children deserve an education but I also believe I am responsible for teaching my children. The public or private schools can teach writing, math and science but it is my responsibility to teach my children how to help an elderly person, how to be a gentleman and hold a door open or even how to behave in a restaurant. It is also my duty to teach my children how to treat others, whether different in age, gender or ability. I truly believe if the children of the world today had parents that took the necessary time and effort to love them, listen to them and teach them, we would have less violence, less school drop outs and happier children. As the Bible states in Psalms 127:3, Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward. What a precious gift we are given when we become parents. I hope we can all be the role model our children need.