BatBliss

My son, my precious “little” batboy, turns 20 today and I cannot begin to express the incredible joy, love, and knowledge that he’s brought into my life since the day he was born. The day my Sean was born, he almost died and took me out with him. My husband, who was holding my hand and encouraging me, noticed that his heart rate had dropped dramatically in the space of a minute and once he alerted the nurses, all proverbial hell broke loose.

John was hustled out of the room and left bewildered in the corridor while a team of specialists came in to stabilize me and stop my labor since the stress of labor could have been fatal for Sean. They quickly pulled together a surgical team and rushed us into OR to do a C-section. Once it was all set up, John got to come in and hold my hand while they pulled Sean from my womb. Despite the drama, Sean was pink and perfect and healthy. We found out later that the reason his heart had dropped was that his head was too big to fit through the birth canal. Needless to say, lots of teasing about his big head has ensued every since.
Shortly after birth, or so it seemed, Sean discovered Batman and he never looked back. In the years that followed, there were Batcakes, Batsheets, and we never even had to ask Sean what he wanted to be for Halloween because the answer was always the same: Batman. Sean loves the original, the remake, and every incarnation of Batman in between. Since they “rebooted” or is that “rebatted” the franchise, Sean’s been at the first showing of every movie. Having a Batfiend for a child, means that we always know we’re safe buying him a Batpresent.
Sean’s love of Batman has sparked some interesting conversations about why Batman is better than Superman. Sean’s take is that Batman is better because he does it all without super powers. I have to give it to the kid, that’s a pretty compelling argument.
I guess I have to give Batman some credit for amazing man my son has become because Batman has taught my son some pretty meaningful life lessons over the past twenty years:

Take care of those you love–Just like Batman takes care of Alfred, Sean does his best to take care of his sister and make sure she’s safe. Although Sean spent a lot of time grumbling about it, Sean did a great job of playing chauffeur to his sister in school.

Give back–We’re not as rich as Bruce Wayne, so Sean isn’t able to give as much as Bruce does, but Sean does his part in giving blood, giving his time, and giving his money to help those less fortunate.

Stand up for what’s right–Sean’s stood up to protect his sister from bullying and he speaks out against injustice. He’s also going to school to be a lawyer so he can speak out for justice.

Overcome adversity–Thankfully Sean never had to overcome the kind of adversity that Bruce Wayne did, but he did grow up poor and he stuttered when he was younger. Sean never left those things get in his way and he kept trying and kept working for the things he wanted. Sean’s grown from a kid who stuttered, to an award winning debater.

Give it your all–Sean will be the first to admit that he doesn’t give it his all all of the time, but he does keep trying and he goes after things he wants with all of his heart. Sean wanted to be in a play when he was seven and we signed him up and he ended up with a bit part. We thought that like a lot of kids, he’d quickly tire of the small role he had and want to drop out. We were in for a shock, because Sean stuck to it and made it to every practice and every performance even when he was sick.

Never give up–One of the biggest disappointments of Sean’s life came when he was turned down for admission into the JSA Summer School Program after his junior year in high school. It was something he wanted with all of his heart. He spent a little bit of time pouting and being upset, but then he decided to buckle down and work hard on his grades so he’d get admitted the next year and he was.

 

 

 

 

My son could have a lot worse heroes than Batman and all in all, I’m pretty happy with the lessons that Batman has taught my son over the years. Have a great 20th birthday Sean and when you get home, you know there’ll be a Batgift waiting for you (and no, it’s not the Batmobile).

Love,

Mom

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Raine Shakti

Raine Shakti believes in living her life cairn by cairn and in helping others learn to do the same. Her day job is in the training and communications field and her best professional experiences are when she is able to empower people. She has spent the last few years reclaiming her life and her inner warrior. Part of this journey was becoming an ordained priestess with the Fellowship of Isis. Her Matron deities are Nephthys who has helped her become a true virgin woman, the Morrigan who has taught her what it means to be sovereign, and Yemaya who has taught her the strength in having a loving heart.

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