Over the last few months my 34 month old daughter has really been into pretending she is a superhero. Somewhere along the line she picked up the Golden Age Superman stance and she will say “Super Natalie is here to save the day!” in a “deep” voice. Then my superhero flies around the room. She is always saving people.
While getting ready for Easter mass this morning my daughter told us that Jesus was a Superhero. My wife tried to redirect her by saying that, “yes, Jesus was kind of like a Superhero”… Then my daughter earnestly told us that she only puts on a costume and pretends to be a superhero, Jesus saved the world so he was a “REAL!” superhero. She was very agitated until we assured her we understood what she was trying to say. This was very important to her. Jesus saved all of us. As she bopped away, my wife and I looked at each other stunned.
First, when my daughter “puts on a costume” it is completely in her head. She is a child with a Muppet Baby grade imagination. So I was a little surprised that the girl who puts on a completely imaginary outfit, and is upset when I put my imaginary gloves on the wrong hand would have such a strong reaction to what is real and what is imaginary. Second, even though we talk about things like who Jesus is and the meaning of events like Christmas and Easter, I am never really sure what makes sense to her toddler mind.
I don’t want to get in a theological debate about the nature of God or Superheros. As a father I was impressed that my young daughter understood the gravity of Jesus saving the world at some level. It impressed me even more that she wanted to make sure that we, her parents, also understood that this was important. Like her Superman stance, I am not always sure where she picks things up, but I am happy that at least some of it is like this.
