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| My superhero playing with his traveling chess set after lunch in Kutchan, Niseko (Photo taken with the LC-A+ using Kodak Portra 800 film.) |
We have all been bullied in school at one point or another. Kai comes home with his fair share of incidents. Amidst the tears, anger, and frustration, I discovered that on some occasion, Kai has been brave enough to stand up for friends who are being bullied. These are not just best pals whom he is helping; some are classmates whom he hardly knows. He told me of the harsh, nasty words/comments thrown by other boys, and how he would retort on the friend's behalf. A boy from his Chinese class apparently was so grateful that he gave Kai an old storybook of his as a present when school reopened this year.
It's not just standing up to the nasties. He has no qualms with making friends or hanging out with boys whom others do not care to hang out with. When a classmate lost control of his emotions (yet again) in the library and started crying, Kai said he cracked jokes to cheer him up. And they even spend recess together, their heads bent over the same book. He taught the friend how classic Chinese books should be read: flipped from right to left and read down the page rather than across.
I have no illusion of grandeur when it comes to academic performance. I know Kai is not among the top performers in school. He is not a top athlete nor a top musician. But what I am pretty sure of is that he is my superhero because what he does takes courage. And I tell him that he is my superhero because it takes a lot of bravery to do what is right and to do what others might not be willing to do. At the same time, I remind him that Superman has his kyptonite so to please handle himself carefully with bullies as not everyone use just words to exact hurt on others.
So yes, my firstborn is my superhero although he annoys me to death half the time.
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