My child SuperStar - their Heroname - is 4 years old. Their name means something like “Defender of Mankind” and they live up to it. They're kind to their colleagues and loyal to their friends, strong minded (mom and dad kind of helped in that one…) and when they stand their ground they take me back to tales of Ancient Greece and Rome. Hannibal, Leonidas and Alexander would have found a worthy adversary in them.
At a birthday party once, an entertainer was handing out balloons twisted into flowers and swords... They went for the latter. They then noticed the jungle gym had a sofa blocking the entrance… The entertainers were trying to round up the children and move them to the cake room… Need I say it? They “stormed the gate” taking another 2 or 3 kids after them. SuperStar, the Conqueror.
However, paired with their strength is their compassion. One day they came home with scratches still red on their face. Upon talking to the teacher, we found out they were very kind to a colleague in class who had autism challenges. In his strife to express himself, he had reached out too hard and scratched them unintentionally. They apparently didn’t give it any mind. The next day they mentioned the child as one of their best friends. When I told his mother about that title she was taken aback, the child only went 1 morning per week to “regular” school… SuperStar, the Defender.
I’ve worked on projects all my life but SuperStar is my most important project ever. I reshaped my career and life to be a dedicated father and work every day to be able to keep it that way. I would like them to grow up to a balance of strength and compassion. Every little interaction with SuperStar, I find myself thinking how it will shape them years down the road as an adult…
The World isn’t an easy place to live in, there’s a lot of people who are exploited or otherwise left out of the prosperity that would seem to be standard across our society in this modern age. Even when people are well off, events may befall them that hinder or put them into dire situations. Protecting fellow humans who are in need, weak or oppressed is still necessary despite the continuous advances of our civilisation.
To help make the World an easier place to live in I try to raise SuperStar to know what’s the right thing to do and have the mental predisposition to act when the moment calls for it.
My experience: I motivate her to share her toys and food with other children, to help smaller ones up slides and stairs on playgrounds and one day I’d like to be able to take her on my volunteering duties to understand the importance of being kind and helping others. I’m open to ideas from fellow parents on how to foster this in our children.
But SuperStar won’t be able to do it alone – although I hope their strong mindedness leads them to try anyway – so I’m going to give them a helping hand and try to find more responsible future citizens.
The plan is: fill the World with WEEROES.