"Why aren't I my daughter's role model?"

I'm not sure why this mom doesn't "get it." Do any of us expect our teenage daughters to admire the many thankless roles that moms fill? Did we at that age? I would think we want our daughters to asprire to much more, and to find the pleasures in being a mom the same way we did - by doing it.

NEWSWEEK
1/17/09
Settling for Second Best
By Tina Elmore

I cook. I carpool. I volunteer. I do everything for my daughter. So, of course, her role model is … her dad?

On my way to volunteering for PTA duty at my 13-year-old daughter's middle school, I saw a picture of her staring at me from the main school bulletin board, and it stopped me in my tracks. Marina is the school's student-body president, and she was featured along with the other council members. In the picture, she had a confident smile and that "I can do anything" look I've seen on her face so many times before. Curious, I read the profile below her photo and smiled at her answers. "Favorite food: sushi. Favorite sport: soccer." Then, "Role model: my dad." I did a double take and peered closer. Surely it said "my mom," too? Nope. Just two lonely words: "my dad."