Upstanders, Not Bystanders
An upstander in my life would be my mom. I always look up to her, she is mine and my
sister's role model. She is fair, honest and respectful. My mom teaches us the difference between
right and wrong. She always stands up for what is right. I am sure that there are other kids who
have parents that they consider as upstanders, but I know for a fact that no other mother is like
mine.
My mom is an upstander because she is fair, honest, and respectful. She is fair because
she treats my sister and I the same way. She never says that one deserves more than the other.
My sister and I both do chores and if we misbehave, we both get scolded. My mom teaches my
sister and I to be honest no matter what the situation is and she will support us, but if she were to
ever catch us lying than the consequences would be severe. My mom always wants us to tell the
truth since this is the only way she can help us. She never takes anything for granted because life
changes every minute and anything can happen any time. I was taught to respect everyone
whether they're older or younger than me. My mom taught us that in order to get respect, you
need to learn to give respect.
My mom tries to make the world a better place by giving to the less fortunate as much as
she can, even though there have been times that she didn't have much to give. She does this
because she believes in what goes around, comes around, also everybody has a purpose in life.
My mom is constantly giving to all sorts of charity. She always tells us that you should not judge
a book by its cover. Everyone standing on the street is not a homeless person and anyone that
you give money to is not necessarily going to use it for drugs. My mom says it is her job to give
and how the people use it, it's up to them. And this is between them and god. She will not refuse
food or water to anyone, we have had people come to our door and ask for help, and if possible
no one has ever been turned down. My sister and I have seen my mom buy meals for strangers
but right after doing this she walks away and never waits for a thank you from these people.
she's has done these types of things many times.
My mom’s actions speak louder than her words. She always sees the positive side of
everyone and she practices what she preaches. My mom doesn't just say things to my sister and I,
but she has done good things that has taught us to learn to do good in life. She has always stood
by my side and she is the one who taught me to stand up for my rights. My mom taught us to live
and let live. She says that people have a right to live the way they want to live. We cannot force
anyone to change their lives for us. How people live outside our home is not our business, my
mom never judges anyone.
In conclusion, I would like to say that everyone has someone special in their life and
mine is my mom. She likes to do good for others, but never speaks about it to anyone. When I
grow up, I will give to my community and teach the next generation to continue to give. My
mom learnt to give by seeing her father and grandfather do this, and I am learning from my mom
what it takes to be an upstander. Someday I too will be an upstander.