Lately he has been spending about 80% of his waking hours at our home wearing this suit. There are holes ripped in it, the velcro is coming off, and I'm sure he can barely see out of that mask. But, everyday without fail, the moment comes where he comes up to me and holds out the clump of stretched red fabric and plead with me, "Mommy you help me put on Iron Man suit?"
Obviously the fascination with superheroes is in my boys' DNA sequence. As you'll recall, I threw a mega superhero bash for their combined birthday party in November that they felt was pretty much the coolest day ever. Well, next to any day they spend at Grandma's house....or the zoo....or the waterpark. Come to think of it, I guess they just liked getting presents. Mommy - 0. Presents - 1.
Of course, it doesn't just stop at Iron Man.
There was the failed attempt to become The Amazing Spiderman.
And who could forget the day when Superman
Boys have a power inside them. I can see it building in them already, especially in my three year old. On top of it all, Micah is HUGE for his age so he is trying to figure out how to deal with a physical strength as well as a desire within himself to show fortitude, bravery, and aggression. He is the one who usually gets the time out for hitting, pushing, kicking, or tackling. He is also the one who pretends to shoot bursts of energy out his palms and perform his own variation of Kung Fu in the living room akin to a certain panda.
It's adorable, but it also makes me keenly aware that I'm going to have a real struggle on my hands as this boy grows up. If he keeps being so big and strong for his age, we are really going to have to work to help him channel that power into something constructive (sports, martial arts, underwater basket weaving) versus something destructive (bullying, fighting, violent video games, smashing dishes at a Greek wedding celebration).
But God made this boy STRONG. He is going to be a force to be reckoned with. He will be a man of conviction and passion. He may need to be reminded to do something four times, but once he decides to actually do it....there will be no stopping him. And woe to he who gets in his way. I pray that I can help him learn how to use his power to bring glory to God rather than as a way to puff up his own ego among his own peers.
In the meantime, he's still afraid of the bear in Brave, so I think I've got time before I have to worry about him terrorizing the neighbor kids.
