I read the
other day that children become what they are told they are. Powerful isn’t it?
Reading that made me recall a famous quote from Spider-Man:
“With great power,
comes great responsibility.”
Peter
Parker aka Spider-Man was told this by his Uncle Ben moments before Ben was
murdered. Like a lot of teens, Peter shrugged it off and dismissed it as just
more parental rhetoric. It wasn’t until his uncle’s passing and his role as the
web slinger that Peter knew what those words truly meant.
I’ve always been a
big defender of comic books in regards to its value in teaching life lessons. Do
not be fooled by the medium. If we dig deeper and go beyond the beautiful
artwork and incredible writing we discover a world that challenges us on all
levels of humanity, emotionally, mentally and physically.
The power
Uncle Ben was referring to had nothing to do with superhuman strength or
anything along those lines. In fact Ben didn’t live long enough to see Peter
become a hero. No, great power comes from many different things. As parents,
our words and actions are our great power. What we say or what we do is so
powerful to our children that they can either build up and strengthen or tear
down and destroy ones self-esteem. We (parents) all have bad days and say
things we regret. It’s called being human. For me personally, I’ve been way too
human lately.
READ MORE: Raising Wonder Women
With that said, we need to take a step back as adults and recognize
our primary responsibility as parents when choosing our words and how they will
affect both positively and negatively those closest to us. Please choose them wisely
but at the same time when we have those human moments, let it go (sorry if the
song gets stuck in your head) and learn from them. Children of any age will
challenge us. I think it’s their job. I know both my girls are quite good at
that. And if my parents were still alive, I’m more than positive they would say
the same regarding my sister, especially my sister and myself.
Our
children are our greatest treasures and success. Nothing we ever do will
measure the wealth and prestige that comes with being a mother or a father. It’s
a dream and hope of mine to someday pen the great American novel. And even if I
am blessed in doing so, I know it will never mean as much to me as watching
Megan and Cassie grow into the young ladies they’re becoming. They will be a
force to be reckoned with and they won’t settle for anything less because of
their gender. They will earn all that they set their sights on. I will be their
greatest cheerleader.
As a dad, it’s my great responsibility and perhaps even
more so now that I won’t be seeing them as often as I want, to prepare them,
strengthen them through my words and actions to be better than I ever dreamed
of being for myself. In turn, they will pass it down to their children. Today and always I will tell them that I believe in them and that I love them. That’s
how positive legacies are built.
James the
SuperDad
Follow the adventures of James the SuperDad who uses his knowledge of the
Force and all things pop culture to help raise his teenage, fangirl daughters
to Live Long and Prosper. When not being a SuperDad, his other superhero
persona is as The Dork Knight, an entertainment site
catering to movies, television and comic convention reviews. You can also
follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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