lucky charm #13: become a mentor

mentor

noun - an experienced and trusted adviser

verb - advise or train

mentor -- in greek mythology, a friend of odysseus and tutor of his son telemachus - who was entrusted to guide and care for him while odysseus went off to fight the trojan war.

the old african proverb that "it takes a village to raise a child" is absolutely true.  children no matter what race, age, socio-economic background, or educational level need adults to care about their welfare and well-being; to show them how to grow into responsible and caring adults.  children need heroes, role models, and mentors.  however, there are distinct differences among the three.  a hero is someone whose achievements we admire.  a role model is someone whose behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes we try to emulate.  a mentor is someone whose beliefs, behaviors and attitudes we want to mimic and someone who helps build character, gives wise counsel, is a confidant - a trusted friend. 

i remember growing up that i had such people in my life.  adults who showed they cared about me and my brothers and sisters and the other children in the neighborhood.  they showed concern by asking us how are grades were, what were we learning, how are you doing, are you behaving yourself.  my community was filled with doctors, teachers, postal workers - all who saw to it that we were taken care of.  you could not turn the corner without knowing that there was someone who took interest in your life and who set you on the right track if you got off.  if they caught you doing something you had no business doing, they reprimanded you and then told your parents - and then your parents reprimanded you, too.  what i mean by reprimand is -- you got a whupping, sometimes.  other times you got that "look."    

even the corner, family-owed italian grocers guided and advised you on your wrong doings if they caught you doing something not in keeping with the correct character and values of the community and family.  they knew, respected, and admired my entire family - from my hard-working father to my dignified mother.  and they let me know it every time they saw me.  they would brag about how much respect and love they had for my parents.  i had to fill some pretty big shoes.  i have honored all these wonderful relationships because they have made me what i am today.  

however, many of today's children are missing this vital link of community and family.  they have no one to help guide them into adulthood; no one to listen to.  no one to show them opportunities, or broaden their horizons.  still, there are many adults who see the need for mentoring.  spending quality time, effort, money and other resources to guide, befriend children.  opening not only the child's world, but the child's family to a host of experiences beyond what they encounter in their daily lives.  

shirley chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to the us congress - and of course one of my mentors states, "service is the rent you pay for room on this earth."  i believe she was right.  mentoring is a fantastic way to give back to community - it's a two-way street.  you can learn from a mentee just as much as they learn from you.  you both grow in so many wonderful ways.  there is a joy that one experiences when investing in the future of young people.

are you now mentoring someone or have you ever been a mentor?