My son is stubborn. I know I’ve said this in previous entries but it needs to be repeated so I can really drive the point home. He’s stubborn in the exact same way that I am. He will only do things when he is perfectly ready to do them not in anyone else’s timeline or within their expectations of when things should be accomplished. Nathan’s stubbornness was evident incredibly early. He decided he would sleep when he pleased and he would eat what he pleased and he would talk when he was good and ready. Having a first child is hard enough but having one so willful and challenging made the entire business that much harder.
Nathan’s insistence on doing things his way has continued as he’s grown older and now that he can talk and he will sleep it manifests is some very interesting ways. Most noteworthy was his complete disinterest in anything related to super heroes. He had absolutely zero patience for movies like Iron Man, The Avengers, or even animated Batman. I knew he would love these films if he would just give them a chance but I was immediately shut down every time I suggested them and a Pixar film was demanded instead.
All of this changed about two weeks ago. Our wonderful nanny put on The Avengers one day when Nathan was fighting going down for a nap. She figured at the time that he would get bored and stop fighting going upstairs if there was something on the TV that he was actively disinterested in. Her plan had the complete opposite effect. Nathan became completely transfixed and within two days he was asking to watch The Avengers and was completely open to the idea of watching Iron Man as well. From this has spawned demands that we all dress up as Avengers for Halloween (Kaitlyn appropriately will be The Hulk) and constant declarations that either Iron Man or Captain America is “the best!”
I’ll be honest I was never into comic books and super heroes when I was a kid. For some reason that kind of reading never appealed to me. I always loved playing video games but never got into graphic novels in any real way. I didn’t really start enjoying them until a few years ago and I’m incredibly picky about what types of comics and comic based movies I enjoy. Regardless of that fact I’m thrilled that my son is suddenly all about super heroes. I think it’s one of those things that are incredibly fun for kids to grow up with. Super heroes come with wonder and excitement two things that every kid needs in their lives especially when they are small. It’s nice to have Nathan exposed to stories where the good guys beat the bad guys when we live in a world where we read terrible news every day.
I’m glad we finally managed to make Nathan feel like super hero stories were his idea so he is willing to enjoy them. I want him to stay a kid for as long as he can. I want him to believe the good guys always win. I know it’s inevitable that he will be exposed to the terrible in the world but I want to delay that for as many extra seconds as possible. The exact same rules will apply for my daughter as she gets older. Super heroes are good for everyone no matter our age or gender. They bestow some positivity in a world that can be overtaken by sadness and negativity. I think the only thing super heroes can’t do is break my son of his mother’s stubborn ways.
