Superheroes in Society

Superheroes...  Most of us grew up pretending to be the heroes depicted in comic books and movies (some still might.. which is slightly scary).  In fact, when I was just around 3 or 4 years old, we were traveling by car to the state of Washington.  Out of nowhere, I shouted something to the effect of, "Open the door and let me out!  I will fly like Superman!"  I'm sure many people have similar stories, or I hope so for the sake of my own esteem.  Our society's love for superheroes recently reflected in the box office, where The Avengers earned the top grossing profit of all movies in 2012. 

But anyways, imagine if superheroes were actually real.  They could solve all of the problems, right?  Iron Man could sacrifice all of his selfishness to save the world as he did in The Avengers.  Captain America could rightfully be the Commander in Chief  of the United States and lead the country back to the dominance it once possessed.  Batman would spend his nights fighting all of the evil in the streets.  Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, would busy himself with creating a spacecraft that could take people to another planet.  The thought of superheroes in our society is a wishful one, but in my opinion, they are abundant in (most of) our everyday lives.

Single parents, coupled parents, adopted parents, guardians, my parents, your parents, all parents alike... they are who we owe thanks to.   They are our real life superheroes.  As a matter of fact, if you are what you consider to be a "good parent," stop reading my blog for 1 second and pat yourself on the back........ okay, resume reading please! 

The sacrifices that parents make for their children start from day 1 and never end.  Losing sleep over a child's cries, having to reconsider the way finances are made and spent, working multiple jobs, giving up some social aspects of life, etc...  Not to mention the incredible toll pregnancy and labor take on a mother's body.  From the very first day of our lives, parents are already making sacrifices.  Emotional, financial, physical.. you name it, they are sacrificing it for the rest of their lives.  There isn't a day a parent doesn't think about his/her children.  Forever, they live the adjusted lifestyle of having us beneath them in the family tree.

In comparison to the fictional superheroes, parents are human beings.  They make mistakes and the way they raise their children is constantly evolving.  They, just like we, learn as life keeps pressing on.  I'm sure if I asked a large sample of parents about their "ideologies" of parenting from day 1 to now, even if it's only day 10, they would tell me that their ideas and methods change pretty regularly.  It's important that we don't hold parents to some standard of perfection we've created in our own heads.  In respect to all things that evolve, let parents grow into their ways as time passes. 

It seems to me that, too often, people look at parenting as some kind of equation; that there's a "right" or "wrong" way.  People read books on parenting styles written by authors who probably never even followed the steps themselves.  It also seems evident that many of us, as children, take our parents for granted.  It may not be on purpose, but many just expect their guardians to make sacrifices for them..   If it weren't for our caretakers, we wouldn't have been able to survive childhood and grow into adulthood. 

To me, parents are the superheroes in society.  So, think about this question, "How have your parents helped you?"  For most of us, it will be in far too many ways to even count.  Do they serve the purpose of saving the world?  No, but they certainly help the world operate more smoothly.  Today, tomorrow, and every day that follows, thank your parents and let them know you love them.  Go out of your way for them whenever the opportunity arises. 

Thanks again for reading.

Check me out on twitter:  @PrallyD