Super heroes - ok or bad for kids?

[kzacarkim]

Hi, I just want some insight from the moms out there. My son (5) got some superheroes from macdonalds a while ago and he has developed this almost obsession with them. My husband has let them also see some cartoons in the past and bought some Hulk toys. We have been thinking about it and decided its not a good influence on them. They have been playing pretending they are Hulk and other super heroes, and being rough and violent w/ each other...I know boys can be rough by nature, but I want to make sure we're doing the right thing. We have been trying to discourage anything to do w/ superheroes but he is so hooked on them! Just wanted to know your opinion on the topic...I know I can get rid of all the related toys, but how can I reach his heart?
Thank you for your responses.

[arstephia]

My son also enjoyed his super heroes. We didn't even watch them on TV other than Rescue Heroes (fireman, police, etc.) but he would still put on a cape made from a towel or blanket and fight bad guys. ALL.THE.TIME. It was just part of being a boy. One of my favorite pictures is one of him protecting his sister and throwing spider webs (yarn) at the dog, who was really an evil villian. He has grown up to be a very gentle, caring and compassionate young man, but will still take on anyone who tries to harm his sisters. My advice to you is to NOT take away the super heroes, encourage the rough housing with Dad, and let him grow up to be a man of courage. Our only "rule" was that he couldn't play a bad guy - he could only be a good guy... his response? "Of course Mommy, who wants to be a bad guy? The bad guy always loses!" Throw in some Daniel Boone, some cowboy, etc. and you will give his imagination the freedom to fight the bad guys and be ready to defend his faith and family.

[netpea]

I see nothing wrong with superheros as long as they know that our true superhero is Christ Jesus. The kids went to a VBS at their Aunt's church this summer with a superhero theme. They talked about all the superheros, about their strengths AND their weaknesses, then they talked about Christ and His strengths and how He is the ultimately their hero. It was really good.

[gotpeace91]

My son also enjoyed his super heroes. We didn't even watch them on TV other than Rescue Heroes (fireman, police, etc.) but he would still put on a cape made from a towel or blanket and fight bad guys. ALL.THE.TIME. It was just part of being a boy. One of my favorite pictures is one of him protecting his sister and throwing spider webs (yarn) at the dog, who was really an evil villian. He has grown up to be a very gentle, caring and compassionate young man, but will still take on anyone who tries to harm his sisters. My advice to you is to NOT take away the super heroes, encourage the rough housing with Dad, and let him grow up to be a man of courage. Our only "rule" was that he couldn't play a bad guy - he could only be a good guy... his response? "Of course Mommy, who wants to be a bad guy? The bad guy always loses!" Throw in some Daniel Boone, some cowboy, etc. and you will give his imagination the freedom to fight the bad guys and be ready to defend his faith and family.

Yes, I like this answer! This reminds me of a funny story about my brother. My parents were pretty strict about TV etc. we didn't even have one for a long time, so my brother didn't see many cartoons. But one day my mom saw him playing in his room and he had tied on a cape and was jumping from the dresser to the bed shouting "JOHN THE BAPTIST!!!" hahaha! I still giggle when I think of that.

[6timeboymom]

We like super heros around here. My boys are also very caring, nurturing boys. I find it's a way for them to explore "good vs. evil" themes, and a way for them to overcome things in their imaginary play that they are having difficulty with in real life.

On a side note, somewhere my youngest (he's 5) heard a cowboy pull a gun on a bad guy and say, "I'm sending you to *where the devil lives*" and he repeated that. So we had a talk about how we really don't want people to go there, and that we should work to get everyone into heaven. So later that day he was playing and I heard him pull his "gun" and say, "You're goin' to HEAVEN!!"

[gotpeace91]

hahaha! I love it, Darci!

[kzacarkim]

Thank you for all the responses so far.... and please keep them coming! I want to use your responses to talk about it with my husband. I agree that it is a good way to talk about good vs evil and being a young mom, sometimes I second guess myself in some issues.... so I really appreciate the input of experienced and christian moms! And I feel relieved that your superhero loving dc did not turn into violent kids Thanks.

[kzacarkim]

Yes, I like this answer! This reminds me of a funny story about my brother. My parents were pretty strict about TV etc. we didn't even have one for a long time, so my brother didn't see many cartoons. But one day my mom saw him playing in his room and he had tied on a cape and was jumping from the dresser to the bed shouting "JOHN THE BAPTIST!!!" hahaha! I still giggle when I think of that. [/quote]


That's funny!!! My kids play Bible heroes too. Their favorite is David and Goliath and they act out all day long, manufacturing all kinds of slings!

[lmercon]

You know what - if you take away the toy guns, they'll just use bananas and sticks. It's in their DNA. It's like baby lions pretending to stalk and pounce on each other. They are using fantasy to develop real skills that will make them the manly men they will need to be some day. I think it is fine. Besides, they will go on to a new phase soon enough. As long as the atmosphere of your home is immersed in godliness, I see absolutely no problem with it. Enjoy his little boyhood fantasies. You will think back some day about them and smile!
Laura

[Mom of Three]

We all need heroes. The news is full of evil people and terrible horrible things. We need good examples.

I am more concerned with letting my children know which stories are real (history, the Bible) and which are imaginary. That's what important to me.

We have girls, so for us it's not super heroes, it's PRINCESSES. But again, they are heroes. We look for good examples to follow--someone is acting like a princess when she is polite and gentle.

Imagination is a wonderful thing and I love to hear my children role play what they hear on tv...because they always change it and make it their own and weave in other things they've heard or read. It's a stepping stone to making up their own story.

Kids get "obsessed" now and then if you want to call it that, or you can call it a "phase" or whatever. You can use this. When my oldest was NOT wanting to do her handwriting, I found some writing paper with a princess on it. She wanted to use that paper and suddenly handwriting was a little bit fun. You can buy school supplies decorated with your child's current hero, and it's a wonderful way of celebrating their interests (and that's the beauty and uniqueness of homeschooling!) while still meeting their educational goals. You can get books from the library on their favorite hero and then build on that and introduce other heroes and broaden their horizons.

[tnahid]

I see nothing wrong with the super heros, but I personally prefer the older super hero movies to the more modern ones. We bought the old Superman movies and they enjoyed those. My oldest son love movies like Indiana Jones, Narnia, Walker Texas Ranger (show). They can be violent at times, more than I would like, but these real characters are heros to him. And I like that because they are REAL characters, not cartoons. Some of the more modern cartoons are especially dark or sinister looking in my opinion. I just don't really care for those.

But I agree with other posters. My boys would make guns out of pencils! It doesn't matter. Just make sure they are the good guys!!!

[deltagal]

My oldest saw this post and asked if he could read it. He then began to "remember" all the fun things he used to dress up as and all the fun toys he used to play with from GI Joe to Cowboys with cap guns. Super hero toys sound fun! I would monitor their play and actions and language, but let them play and pretend and imagine. Obviously problematic (inappropriate language and actions) play would need to be addressed. And obviously there is a time to play and a time not to play. Use your good judgement and with good parameters it could be a great play time activity.

[vtbowman]

The ONLY thing my son has ever been into is superheros. He never liked Cars or Thomas.....just Buzz, Woody, Spiderman, Batman, Ironman....etc. I agree that it is in their DNA. We don't allow him to play with toy guns, but he is just as happy shooting "fire" out of his hands at the bad guy. There actually is a Hillsong Kids song on YouTube called "Jesus is my Superhero" and my son LOVES it.

[Dustybug]

My son also enjoyed his super heroes. We didn't even watch them on TV other than Rescue Heroes (fireman, police, etc.) but he would still put on a cape made from a towel or blanket and fight bad guys. ALL.THE.TIME. It was just part of being a boy. One of my favorite pictures is one of him protecting his sister and throwing spider webs (yarn) at the dog, who was really an evil villian. He has grown up to be a very gentle, caring and compassionate young man, but will still take on anyone who tries to harm his sisters. My advice to you is to NOT take away the super heroes, encourage the rough housing with Dad, and let him grow up to be a man of courage. Our only "rule" was that he couldn't play a bad guy - he could only be a good guy... his response? "Of course Mommy, who wants to be a bad guy? The bad guy always loses!" Throw in some Daniel Boone, some cowboy, etc. and you will give his imagination the freedom to fight the bad guys and be ready to defend his faith and family.

Yes, I like this answer! This reminds me of a funny story about my brother. My parents were pretty strict about TV etc. we didn't even have one for a long time, so my brother didn't see many cartoons. But one day my mom saw him playing in his room and he had tied on a cape and was jumping from the dresser to the bed shouting "JOHN THE BAPTIST!!!" hahaha! I still giggle when I think of that.

HA! I love this! My 3 year old walks around with a slingshot(a piece of square cloth with two strings attached) pretending to be David and "killing" Goliath!

He also pretends to be Larryboy(from Veggietales) and has told me that when he grows up, he will have plunger ears too! lol
Ha!

[joyfuljourney]

We do not buy any action figures etc. for boys.
We have chosen to find appropriate heroes for our boys rather than the junk and truly evil stuff that is out there nowdays. We have a CD by a Christian children's musician here in Australia called Super Saviour.
We had a super hero dress up day at Church and I made a Tigerman cape for my DS (we made this up) and a Flowerygirl one for DD.
We keep the level of admiration light.
For us it is part of teaching our children truth from fantasy but still allowing an active imagination. They are always the good guy, helping others, protecting. They are not allowed to fight with their siblings or pretend they are the bad guy.