I'll Match Your Kryptonite

We have a game we play in our family where we make up superheros and assign them unusual superpowers. We started this as a way to playfully counteract the media and marketing impacts of the standard superheros shtick, which is pretty hard to avoid if your child happens to share, oh, breathing space with any other child. Since I'm not interested in totally isolating my kids, or in making them feel as if their interest in superheros is somehow shameful, we've tried to find a way to at least make the superhero play more creative and less bounded by what toy companies are pedaling. Alternate superpowers can also lead to good discussions on problem-solving, and encourage a lot of all-family goofiness.

The Young Man (Miles) is pretty set in his alternate identity of "SuperGlue." SuperGlue's superpower is, not surprisingly, being able to glue just about anything. Around our house, he halts dogs and cats in their tracks, traps bad guys, and fixes all broken, torn or damaged items. I never considered how many problems could be solved by the judicious application of adhesives until SuperGlue appeared. He's even offered to solve my bunny problem (with some damage to the bunnies, I would imagine).

Miss T (Teija) is SuperBaby. Notice a trend? Preschoolers can be very literal. In her first year, Teija's superpower was pretty much limited to spitting up. Miles was impressed by her capacity to spit up as a newborn. The effect of the super-regurgitation was mostly limited to "shock and awe." Still, with SuperGlue also playing for the home team, I think that Miles had a halt-and-hold approach to catching villains in mind. Stop them with the awesome power of the spit-up, trap them with the glue. With his sister displaying all sorts of developmentally-appropriate new skills, we haven't discussed Teija's new superpower in depth. My vote is for screeching with great vehemence. It stops the rest of the mortal world in our tracks. Poor Miles, I don't think he has the appropriate coping skills yet for when he is confronted with the strength of his sister's will. One screech and she's pretty much turned him into a quivering pile of (soon to be resentful) ooze. We did talk about SuperFlower as her new name, but I'm fuzzy on how her powers work. Pollen-induced sneezing? Kudzu-like growth rate (certainly not any child of mine). As a superhero, SuperFlower needs to be sent back for a bit more creative development. I'll see if I can get more detail tonight.

The Hubby and I get by on pretty limited stints as superheros; consensus has it that my power is using "firm voice." I haven't yet pointed out that SuperGlue seems immune, or at least has selective hearing. I think Steve gets to hand out the popsicles and ice-cream. The division of discipline isn't that divided in our household, but let's just say Miles knows where to find the weakest link (and the link that wouldn't mind a little snack himself).

I love playing this game with Miles, and I'm always surprised by the breadth of his imagination. It's been one of our best finds as a family while we try to subvert some of the values of our consumerist culture.

Let's just say, however, that have the real super-glue under lock and key. Just in case.