Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were the son or daughter of a figure in the local media? Would your life be any different than it is now?

Y-Press spoke with five young people who live this situation:

* Tory Herrmann, 10, daughter of Mark Herrmann, former Colts quarterback.

* Reese Dick, 10, son of Gerry Dick, host of "Inside Indiana Business" on WFYI (Channel 20).

* Cary Patterson, 13, daughter of Julie Patterson, co-host of the "Julie and Steve Morning Show" on WENS-FM (97.1).

* Caitlin Sullivan, 10, daughter of Ruthanne Gordon, WISH (Channel 8) "Daybreak" news anchor.

* Meg Peterson, 14, daughter of Mayor Bart Peterson.

Having parents in the public eye generates mixed emotions.

"(For my mom) it's like really long hours and stuff, and they have to put a lot of effort to the show. . . . I guess that makes me feel proud," Cary said.

Meg said of her dad: "I'm proud of him. He's really busy, and he tries to hide that it's hard, but when I see him on TV, I just realize how big of a job it really is."

She said it's hard to remain anonymous in public. Even on vacation in Florida, they bump into people who say, "Oh, you're the mayor."

Despite her father's new work with the Stay in Bounds program, which encourages students to balance athletics with academics, Tory's classmates still focus on Mark Herrmann's days with the Colts.

Morning routines between parent and child don't always agree.

"My mom wakes up before I do; she wakes up at 3 (a.m.), and she gets home at 3 p.m.," Caitlin said of the "Daybreak" anchorwoman. "So I get to see her a lot in the afternoons but not in the mornings."

The routines of the "Inside Indiana Busi ness" host and his son are compatible. "Before school, my dad always goes running, then he takes me to school," Reese said. "Sometimes he takes me home. After school, he gets there at about 5 or 6, and I get home at about 4."

Meg's dad also takes her to school and is often home between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. "I do spend a lot of time with him on the weekends and in the morning when we go to school, so I don't think I'm really missing out on anything."

The other children also said their relationships were good, but finding enough time with their parents was a challenge.

"On my days off she has to go to work, and on her days off I have to go to school, so we don't really spend that much time together unless we're going on vacation," Caitlin explained.

Although their time is limited, these children still draw inspiration from their parents.

"I would consider my dad a role model because he talks about how to stay focused in school and to always think of sports last, even though it helps keep you healthy," Tory said.

"He had to do a lot to get where he is," Meg said of her father. "He went to college and then went to law school, and he didn't really enjoy being a lawyer, so he had many other jobs. He's always told me that his main goal was being the mayor of Indianapolis. So I think it shows me how if you really want to do something, you can if you work hard enough at it."

Some people believe that having a parent in the public eye would make them more popular. Cary disagrees.

"It doesn't really have anything to do with popularity because if you don't tell everyone, and if no one makes a connection that you're related to whoever, then no one knows."

There are some advantages to having a widely known parent. "I do like my dad being in the public eye because he just gets noticed everywhere," Reese said.

"Most of the time it's fun because you have a lot of experiences that you would never have otherwise, like meeting new people and going places you might never go if your parent didn't have that certain job," Meg said.

There are also disadvantages.

"If they see my name, sometimes they ask me if my dad's name is Mark, and I say 'yes,' and then they start going all wacko," Tory explained.

Too much attention also can be bad.

"Sometimes, like if something bad happens that's kind of personal, it's always in the news or a top story. It's not really too hard on me, but I can see that it's sometimes hard for him. He feels like he can't really do much without having it be recorded for the whole city," the mayor's daughter said.

There can be some awkward moments, too. Every Halloween, Caitlin's mom lets her bring a friend to the TV station to be on the air. That can cause problems.

"Another of my friends heard, and she got all mad at me. She said, 'Well, you promised that I'll be on TV with you.' . . . It's really hard because when I'm being on TV and I can invite a person along with me and they blab it out, then another person gets mad at me."

Meg would like to make a career of acting or singing, but the other offspring aren't planning futures that would put them in the public spotlight. But even if they did, they would do few things differently from their parents.

"I think if I did have to do anything different, then I'd probably schedule time that I could spend together with my kids because it seems like (my mom's) not around very often because she works so much," Cary said.

Tory would not change a thing.

"I like how my parents raise me."

REPORTERS: Katie McDowell, 10; Allison Gardner, 13; Katie Bolinger, 13; Emily Kasnak, 12.