The Wonder(ing)s of Superman

G-Bear and E-Bear take after their dad in many ways, but one of the most recent is their love of Superman.  T recently showed them the opening clip of a Superman movie in which the renown Man of Steel rescues a passenger plane from crashing into a baseball stadium.  The kids were instantly awe-struck.  In addition to requesting the above mentioned clip every night for bedtime, they are now requesting the Superman theme song on the music player during every car ride.  These are my children, son and daughter of the man who wore his superman pajamas everyday for two years and begged his older sister to make a "superman curl" in his hair with her curling iron.  This was meant to be.

Superman has become a new found wonder for our family in more ways than one.  At dinner a few nights ago, G-Bear asked T the all-important question,

"Daddy, how does Superman fly?"

E-Bear, ever ready to help out, answering intrepidly,

"He goes like this," 

(arms outstretched in a Superman pose) 

"and he WHOOSHES!!"

G-Bear, not to be misunderstood, repeated,

"No, but Daddy, HOW does he fly?"

E-Bear, not one to miss the chance to clarify, interjected,

"He flies through the AIR with his CAPE."

G-Bear, now thoroughly exasperated, asked again,

"NO, I mean HOW does he FLY?!"

E-Bear, now quite puzzled that none of his answers were sufficient, sat quietly befuddled.

To T and I, the exchange highlighted an interesting difference in how our kids are perceiving the world around them.   To E-Bear, simply seeing Superman fly is sufficient.  Super powers don't require an explanation. E-Bear's trust in the world around him remains very much intact.  G-Bear, on the other hand, is beginning to realize a difference between what is real and what is fanciful.  In her, at the tender age of four, we see a bit of wonder replaced by realism.  For E-Bear, things merely need to be seen to be trusted.  For G-Bear, what she sees must be explained.

In my opinion, having my kids understand the difference between real and fanciful can be both comforting and confounding.  It means that I can explain to G-Bear that she doesn't need to be afraid of something scary because it is pretend.  But, it also means that things like miracles and Jesus walking on water must now be explained.  I certainly don't mind explaining the wondrous parts of our faith to G-Bear.  But, there is something about E-Bear's acceptance that gives me a wistful feeling.  

Fortunately for all of us, no one batted an eye tonight when I described God as "the strongest, even stronger than Superman."

"Whoa," said a wide-eyed G-Bear, "that means that he can even hold up a plane!"

"AAAAAAnd," chimed E-Bear "he can help us!"

Amen, my loves, amen.