Raising a Superhero

Liam is deep into his superhero phase. Captain America, Spiderman, Batman, the Hulk - if the guy has outlandish powers of any kind, he's ripe for emulation. Capes and masks of all kinds are conveniently scattered around, just in case the superhero mood strikes. In the middle of Thanksgiving festivities last year, GrandBoy disappeared for a while, only to reappear as Captain America. And we gave thanks that he'd turned up. How many other families had a superhero at their Thanksgiving table?

I have no problem with superheroes, just as I have no problem with princesses. Pretending to be all-powerful stretches the imagination in all sorts of ways. And let's face it, childhood's probably the last time you think you can be all-powerful, since the teenage years pretty much destroy that notion. Trying on different supernatural gifts like flying, being invisible, climbing buildings, changing the world with a wave of a magic wand or by twisting magic ring lets a kid figure out all kinds of crazy things. Plus, the costumes are terrific.

But to grow up to be a real superhero,whether Captain America or Wonder Woman, Spiderman or Cinderella, there are some powers that translate into the real world.

I hope Liam never loses the superhero desire to help someone in trouble or in danger. I hope he never loses the passion for truth and justice. I hope he puts his superhero brain into action a little more than he puts his superhero physical powers to work. And may he ever resist and destroy evil to the best of his superhero abilities.

Let's face it, the real superhero and princess traits turn out to be some very basic things.

• a love for learning
• being a good friend and kind to strangers
• helping the less fortunate
• growing in faith and living into that faith
• being an informed citizen and actively participating in the civic process
• resisting stupid, dangerous impulses, like driving drunk
• developing natural talents and abilities
• developing a sense of humor
• putting family first and being a good parent
• treasuring every day

There are more super hero abilities, of course, and real superheroes discover them along the way. A 3-year-old pretending to be Captain America or Batman is just the start of the journey.

But what happens to super heroes and princesses when they get old? Why, they become grandparents, of course!