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My Family Care asks Karen: We are surrounded by people that are deemed role models. What makes a role model, who have been your role models and who would you hope your children see as a role model?
The makings of a role model
For me, role models are people that inspire you because they have overcome problems, been true to themselves, and lived life to the full. They are often people that have achieved amazing things, but not always - sometimes they can be "ordinary" people like you and me, too.
The importance of family
From a personal point of view, my Dad was always the person I most admired and aspired to be like. My Dad comes from a real working class background in North London. He left school as soon as he could, did his national service in Singapore in the 1950s, and worked hard throughout his life to support our family. Dad was best friends with my Mum's little brother; they married in 1957 and had four daughters. I'm the baby.
My eldest sister Gillian was born severely handicapped and she died at the age of 13. My Mum coped amazingly well with one daughter in a wheel chair - in and out of hospital - and three other children. Although I admire my Mum hugely for everything she lived through and achieved, I admire my Dad more because he never gave in. He worked hard, was honest, didn't get angry with the world about the unfairness of life, and taught us to be ourselves.
Gillian's death taught us all to appreciate what we had, to live life to the full, and to take risks.
A new start
Once I left home, Mum and Dad sold the council house that they had scrimped and saved to buy and moved to Portugal for over 10 years. Not many people in their 50s would move to a country they had only ever been on holiday to. My parents weren't well off, so Dad cleaned pools and became a builder to support them financially. Even though he worked so hard during the day, every evening he came home and worked a little more on their house to improve it. Dad was hit hard when Mum died in 2010 and it took him a couple of years to be our positive Dad again, but he did get there. He started a new life and is still true to himself.
From a professional point of view, I admire every person who has worked hard to achieve a goal, who has solved problems on the way, picked themselves up off the floor after the bad times and just got on with it.
I really don't have one single role model, but Steve Fossett is definitely in the top ten as he lived life to the full. He became a billionaire, but that wasn't enough for him so he became an adventurer. The risks he took meant that he set 116 records in different sports, which says to me that he was truly determined to be the best. I also look up to sporting heroes such as Jessica Ennis and Andy Murray. Drive, hard work, and belief are key for all of them.
Role models for our children
Our two girls are now in secondary school; one has already decided she wants to be a tennis champion, and the other wants to be a vet.
Our tennis daughter looks up to Sharapova, Djokovic and Nadal. She has read their biographies and has learnt that no grand slam victory comes without hard work, tears, injury, and lots of sacrifices.
My husband and I would love to think that we are good role models for them too, but teenagers have their own thoughts!
Karen Bach, Founder of KalliKids
