True Heroes

There’s a show on Disney which my kids really liked for awhile, but it just didn’t sit right with my husband and I. There’s nothing morally objectionable in it. It’s just a silly little cartoon. My concern lies with the fact that it seems to trivialize the word hero. Ever seen Higglytown Heroes? In each story the main characters find themselves in a situation which needs help from a higglytown hero (a local community person doing their job) It might be the locksmith, the veterinarian, or the barbershop owner. While I agree that anyone can be a hero, I do not believe that just doing your job makes you a hero. I think you need to do something brave or honorable to be considered a hero. Getting my door unlocked when I lock my keys inside, is really helpful. It’s a job I am truly thankful for. But I don’t feel like you can use the word heroic to describe that action. I feel doing so takes away from the truly heroic acts of policeman, fireman, and military servicemen.

My husband and I both have grandfathers who served in WW II. We are proud of their role in defending our nation. We are proud of the sacrifices they made for our freedoms. They are true heroes.

We want our children to recognize what a true hero is. So, we don’t encourage our kids watch that show anymore. I just didn’t want to take away from their definition of a hero.

One thing that has always struck me about my husband is the honor he gives to veterans. Ever since we were dating, when we are out and about and he comes across a veteran, he always walks over to them and thanks them for their service to our country. We’ve taught our children to do the same, and to also thank the fire and police men and women we see.

My son has an uncle (my brother in law) who currently serves in our army. My son knows that his uncle fought bad guys in Iraq. He adores his uncle and loves to be his “army buddy” and help him fight bad guys. Anytime he’d ask questions about pirates (to which I often didn’t have an answer) he’d respond, “I’ll ask my uncle… he’ll know”…. because if it had to do with anything bad, clearly the good soldiers would know about it (since their job is to fight bad guys). Hence his misconception that his uncle was in Iraq fighting pirates. While he might need a lesson in geography and while at his age, I keep most particulars rather vague…we are instilling in him an appreciation for the fact that our soldiers are taking care of us by fighting bad guys. And this makes them heroes. And when we see men and women in uniform, we give them respect, and awe. While you could make the argument that they too are good citizens, helping others by doing their jobs well, they are making many sacrifices to do so and they put their life on the line in the process.

This Veteran’s Day I want to say thanks to the men and women and their families who have served to protect my freedoms. And I think with pride of our grandfathers, cousins, and uncles who bravely fought for our nation. I am truly filled with pride to be a part of their family line. And I am thankful for my brother in law serving right now in our army for providing my son with a real, tangible portrait of a hero.