I recently met a mother who said she wanted to start getting in shape and eating right because she wanted to be a good role model for her 10-year-old daughter. She was concerned that her daughter didn’t feel good about herself when she looked in the mirror and was not eating much because she was worried about gaining weight.

This woman made me think about what a huge potential influence we have on our children, and what a huge responsibility this is. Clearly, she was a dedicated parent who saw an opportunity to better her life and positively influence her daughter at the same time.

Other WRAL Top Stories

I recently read a novel where the main character said her most vivid memory of her mother was from the back because she always saw her sitting at a desk at her computer in their house. This made me so sad because it made me think about how much we don’t realize our children are actually taking in when we aren’t paying attention.

And it’s up to us to pay attention —it’s not up to them. This is why we have to constantly create opportunities to spend time with our children, even as they grow into teenagers and young adults.

My mother was an attorney when I was growing up, and she was always very busy with work. But I will never forget that she always took my call when I called her office no matter what else she had going on. She could be in a meeting with a client, and she would apologize, excuse herself and pick up the phone. Even when I was young, I felt the push and pull that she felt between work and family. But I also recall her saying that time spent with her children was never wasted time. And I have taken that to heart.

The only time I don’t take my girls’ calls is when I’m on the air, which unfortunately seems to happen on a regular basis. But I always try to call them right back. I try to return their emails and texts quickly as well, handling issues as efficiently as I can throughout the day. Even when we are apart, I try to touch base with them and find out how their day was and what they did. These are “just because” calls, “just because I was thinking about you.”

To this day, when I call my father he still doesn’t believe that I am calling just to say hello, he always wants to know if everything’s OK, or if I need something. But as we mature, we can finally return the favor and grace our parents with “just because calls.”

We are our children’s first influencers and maybe some of the most powerful role models in their lives. We don’t want them to remember us with our backs to them. We want them to remember us coming towards them with open arms ...

Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several books including some on motherhood. Find her here on Mondays.