The more I see of life, the more I am convinced that Superheroes weren’t born with superpowers, but rather, they were raised to find those powers that exist in all. Only that some are not found, which is a big pity.

Yes, as women, we dream of Superheroes who are strong, powerful, fearless and cannot be defeated by other mere mortals. But ask yourself, do these guys really exist?

Superheroes are just normal men who dig their heels deep into the ground and then dig deep into themselves to find that they are capable of so much more than they thought they are capable of.  

If we encourage (and cuddle) frightened little boys, talk to them about their fears, these little boys will learn to dig their heels  in and grow up to be worthy men. And thus, Superheroes are made, from the love and strength of their mothers and fathers.

In 2015, I went for a routine PAP smear test. No worries, some abnormalities. I went away for one month, promising myself that I would do a cone biopsy later. Just to put my mind at rest, hey?  I was still upbeat. And then the cone biopsy result came back. The abnormal cells were cancerous.

Oh no! Having lived through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I never wanted to do that again. Moreover, in the intervening years, I read reports about the downsides of those two modalities.  I was totally distraught, confused, scared.

This was my Superhero’s instant reply via text:

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Note the “I’ll be strong…” I can feel his uncertainty in his words, his hesitancy, and that was very disquieting, because I have only ever known him to be dominating and commanding. But despite his inner feelings, his vow to carry me through whatever hell that was coming my way made him a real life Superhero. Yes, being a Superhero means not jump ship even after glimpsing the darkness that lay ahead.

So, whatever may happen between us in this life, one thing I know for sure: he will have my everlasting love and gratitude for rising to the challenge and being a Superhero when I needed one ❤

SIX KEYS TO RAISING A SUPERHERO:

  1. Provide safe havens for your little boys. Make your arms the safest place on earth.
  2. Read excessively to them. Read myths and fables and folklores.
  3. Don’t always judge and criticise your sons.
  4. Praise them well and show your appreciation.
  5. When they make mistakes, show them how to rectify their mistakes KINDLY.
  6. “It’s OK to be afraid” is the magic phrase for raising Superheroes. USE IT.

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