I scribbled this down while in the park with my dogs. The urge to write is everywhere.
Kid: Mom, Why does Superman do the things he does?
Mom: It’s his choice to use his power the way he does. The way we all do. We all choose to use the power we have to make our lives easier or harder.
Kid: But I don’t have any powers!
Mom laughs.
Mom: Oh yes you do. We all do. An athlete can decide that he doesn’t want to practice his craft anymore. This leaves the team unprepared, his coach in a trouble spot and his paycheck in jeopardy. An Actor can decide to have a snit and say he that he can’t work, which puts the whole shooting schedule for the film he’s on behind, makes the director stress out, puts people in the hospital for exhaustion because they’ve worked so hard to make the film. You can choose to hit your sister, make her cry and force me to intervene on her behalf because you’re the one that did the wrong thing. These actions are a result of the power a person wields over lives that aren’t his or her own. We all have a great responsibility to use our actions to make not only our lives better, but others as well.
Kid: But that’s not the same thing as Superman!
Mom: Yes it is. He chooses to use what he has to save people. To give people a chance to say, “Today I’m not afraid to step out my door. Today I can go to work and not be scared that I’ll get mugged, because there’s someone there to stop it.” Superman could have chosen to stay silent, to not reveal himself to the world, but he didn’t. He chose to help people. To be great.
Kid: But.. why?
Mom: Because there was something inside of him that said, “Enough. I can make it better. I can do something.”
Kid: I guess this means I need to stop hitting my sister then.
Mom laughs.
Mom: Yes, you need to stop hitting your sister. Even when she takes your G.I. Joes.
Huge sigh from the Kid.
Kid: Being an older brother is hard.
Mom kisses his forehead as she tucks him in to bed.
Mom: Being a Mom and loving you both is hard too. Even when you drive me crazy.
Kid: ‘Nite Mom.
Mom: Goodnight.
The Hungry Silverfish 