One the joys of being a parent are having the opportunity to share the things you love with your children. They may not always share your taste but sometimes they do. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always had a love for superheroes (which I still do to this day.) What heroes stand for and represent has greatly influenced how I carry myself in life and the way I teach my daughter to carry herself.
In my head, I am batman (less money but way better looking) and I let it be known to whoever will listen to me. So, with this, there was no surprise that Malaya would have a connection to Batman and choose to be the next best thing to Batman which is Batgirl! One year she dressed up as Batgirl for Halloween and when she first tried on her costume her eyes just lit up!
That same year she wore her costume for her school’s Halloween parade and a boy in her class proceeded to let her know that Batgirl was not black! She looked so hurt and when she told me what happened I was pissed because that boy’s ignorance made her question if she could be Batgirl. I asked her who is Batman? She replied you are. I said what color am I? She replied brown. So I said what color would that make Batgirl? She replied with a smile, brown and I replied yes just like Batman!
Sometimes little off the cuff remarks made kids and adults can vastly affect how your child sees them self and in turn could vastly limit their potential. At such a young age children are being told from every direction who they are and what they can be. So it’s very important that we as parents make sure that we reinforce the truth that it is possible for them to be anything they want to be and to always keep their heart and mind open to their potential!