Last Friday I was thanking my lucky stars that my son isn’t old enough to understand the foofaraw surrounding Lance Armstrong’s doping admission. He’s almost a year and a half old, so his focus remains on how many toys he can carry across the house at one time.

But for other parents, especially those with kids who looked up to athletes such as Armstrong and embattled Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, I am sure there were a lot of heartfelt discussions going on.

Children aren’t coated with a thin layer of cynicism as we adults are, so I don't doubt that many kids were crushed to see their heroes with mud on their faces. But isn’t a fall from grace a lesson in itself? Honestly, it makes me wonder why we choose people such as these as heroes and role models when we have mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and neighbors and leaders that are not subject to the cult of celebrity?

When the time comes for Cooper to look for role models, we’ll look closer to home.

In fact, BubbleLife Media’s own Elise McVeigh writes a column focusing on the amazing things people in the Park Cities do on a regular basis. These are people, real people, who are truly worthy of being role models to not only our children, but to us all.

Sure, Kirsa and Keith Williams will never have their own TV show. They’ll never be action figures or receive millions in endorsements from huge corporations all over the globe. But they are good people doing amazing things, never purporting themselves to be better or worse than any one of us. They won’t pass judgment on others, bully people, and then make admissions of guilt on national television hiding behind a veil of half-truth and crocodile tears.

The Williams family, and hundreds like them, do what’s right every day, never seeking to be glorified or admired for it. If that’s not the very definition of a hero, then we as a society need to take a hard look at our priorities.

Know someone who works hard to make our community a better place? Tell me about them! Send a note to jo@bubblelifemedia.com