The Justice League...

Okay .. so this is a call to all boys and to all mothers of boys!!

My daughter will be 4 in April, but she's really three-going-on-twelve! Anyhow... we stopped in a Blockbusters last night to pick up a movie and I walked her over to the kids section of the movies to buy ... and thought she'd get a Barbie Fairytopia or Dora or Strawberry Shortcake or Toopy and Binoo or something she normally is into .. but nooooo! She chose The Justice League and was very adament that this is what she wanted, saying "Myles likes Batman, I want to watch this." Myles is a name we hear quite often around our house -- he is a little boy in her daycare class who has caught her eye since the first week of school ....

So .. we bought it .. and she LOVES it .. she's already seen it three and a half times since yesterday! :) (we went on a long car-ride and she watched it on the way there and one and a half times on the way back, before falling asleep)

I have never been interested in super-heroes! .. They seem kinda lame to me ... Superman .. Batman .. The Green Lantern .. Wonder Woman .. Hawk Girl .. The Flash .. and .. who else is in this weird movie.. umn .. umnn .. Jean sumfinerother ......

Ever since I was young, I was always into real heroes -- like those who helped the physically and mentally marginalized among us ... or heck, my dad :)

I dont even know that my daughter's father is into this kinda stuff -- I cant remember him ever being so!

Sooooo! I'm asking for someone, anyone, or several someones .. to PLEASE comment here .. and give me some kinda quick synopsis of who the hell The Justice League are .. and some cool facts about them .. My daughter invariably has a million questions and she doesn't accept the fact that mommy doesn't know .. and really? truthfully?? I'd prolly fall asleep if I started trying to read the wiki on any of these guys ......

Heck, I'm having a hard enough time explaining to her "no no, sweety, Batman doesn't fly .. in fact, he doesn't really have any super powers.. he's just a really in shape man with a lot of cool tools ......." .. of course, she says "no mommy, I saw him fly!" .. and I respond "well it might look like he is, but he's got this bat-tool that shoots a rope up at something higher than him (cuz there's always something higher than him!!) and it pulls him along..... he can jump really far .. and his cape helps him glide ... but he cant really fly ... remember how he flies the bat-plane, when everyone else is flying???" .... but she wont believe me :)

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

I refuse to force my daughter into a sex-apporopriate gender role .. she can like all the superheroes she wants ... :)

Heartstrings...

I am re-posting this today as a direct response to someone who sent out a cybernetic message-in-a-bottle and likely touched more people than he realizes.. I wanted to comment and let him know he's not alone, that we all struggle and that there are more people willing to help than anyone ever sees... but I wasn't quite sure how to word it -- and this older piece of mine came to mind.. so .. here's hoping he understands...

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Please don't say "my heart has no strings" ..

when I talk about the term 'heartstrings' .. I don't mean the kind of "strings-attached" deal .. like a puppeteer w/ his marionette .. pulling the strings and guiding the movements of the doll ..

heartstrings are strands woven through the sands of time that connect us with those we love... like our parents or our children .. our friends.. even some mere acquaintances ..

when we talk about something "pulling on our heartstrings" .. it is meant that an event has caused us to reflect on those relationships we hold and that our emotions are being drawn to the surface..

some relationships have more than a strand between them, some have entire woven histories -- like my mother and I, I'd say there's an entire linen-closet woven between us .. some have stronger ties than others ..

but I wouldn't want to be anywhere without my heartstrings.. because these are not merely the connections between our loved ones, they are also the ropes that, when we've fallen over the cliffs of despair, act as safety lines to keep us from plummeting fully .. and allow us the opportunity to climb ourselves out ..

strangely enough, it is those whom we have knots in our heartstrings with .. those who we may have a strong bond, but where there is conflict (or, a knot) .. who may actually allow us the better passage to climb up from .. the knots being great hand-holds .. and sometimes using those particular heartstrings as a means of coming back from over-the-edge.. we will discover that the knots (or conflicts!) were less important as we once thought and the heart-string to that person is somehow stronger for the experience ...

*shrug* sorry to rant.. *blush* .. but yea, please don't say you have no heartstrings.. that would make me very, very sad...