Male role models

This morning I watched Barack Obama and John McCain give their speeches when the result of the US presidential election became clear. I was impressed. The two men behaved like statesmen - both acknowledging the strengths of the other, neither allowing themselves or others to blame or to crow, each prepared to put their differences behind them and look to the future and the common good.

These are the kind of role models our young men need. But not just in some far off land. The people who really give our boys a model for manhood are those they spend time with in daily life - parents, teachers, relations, coaches, youth workers and neighbours. By exhibiting the behaviour they want from the next generation, these men show boys how to be a man. It is they who provide role models for our boys - much more than Barack Obama or John McCain.