The big news this week was the confession of Lance Armstrong. I have to admit, I so wanted Lance to be telling the truth all those years, winning the seven Tour de France titles cleanly. I was a Lance fan. I watched the TDF because of him. I saw the stories on his training regimen and it encouraged me to get on my bike. I read his book and was inspired by his fight against cancer. I wear a yellow bracelet and admire the work he has done helping others with cancer.

I’m not shocked he doped. Nor am I disheartened. Yes, I was a fan of his but he was not a role model of mine.

For me, the bigger and better news this week came in the form of a video shared over Facebook. The video is about the 2012 Sports Illustrated Kids SportsKids of the Year. If you haven’t seen it, Google it and watch the video. I won’t ruin it for you if you have not seen it but basically the story is about a 9-year-old boy who competes in triathlons with his brother. I dare you watch it and tell me you were not inspired by their story.

Yes, the older brother in the story inspires me but he would not a role model of mine, either.

I believe my role models should be people I know, people much closer to my home – some even in my home. Like my 11-year-old son who has the courage to try new activities, not knowing if he will be good at them or not. Or my 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son whose hearts are bigger than their small bodies. Or their mother and my wife (the same person), whose passion for everything she does is infectious.

Some parents at my church are role models to me. They have three boys – all young men now. The oldest two are significantly disabled. The youngest is extremely bright and attending a prestigious college. For how challenging I imagine their life can be, I do not believe I have ever seen either one of them not smiling. They help me keep my life in perspective and remind me of the importance of being positive.

I could list many more role models, all having a trait or two that I admire and want to emulate. I try not to put them on a pedestal because the only direction they have to go from there is down. I am well aware they have faults, though I may not know, nor care to know, what their faults are. Actually, the fact they have faults make them even more of a role model because it means they are human, just like me.

Charles Barkley, former NBA great, was right. We need to stop looking to celebrities for role models and look to parents and teachers (and children, and friends, and neighbors, and you get the point).