Faster Than A Speeding Bullet....

When I first think of Superman my memories go to the introduction of the original 1950's Adventures of Superman TV show:

- faster than a speeding bullet,
- more powerful than a locomotive,
- able to leap tall buildings with a single bound

He's an action figure, a hero, a DOER.

I would not describe Superman as a WATCHER.

This "Superman", our Spiderman, however, is 3 1/2 years old. Still, it seems that sometimes (often) he is moving faster than a speeding bullet as he travels through our house, our back yard, the mall and the park. While maybe not as strong as a locomotive, he is an avid train lover. And, yes, I swear he has jumped over the couch, 2 chairs, a toy wagon and the piano without breathing heavy as he yells "run, Papa, run". There is a boundless energy in this one! And like Clark Kent he has his cautious, methodical side as well. Although he doesn't wear glasses and I have never seen him enter a phone booth. But then again, he would have no idea what a phone booth is. I only have vague recollections of that bygone convenience.

In any case, he has been enrolled in a couple of classes through the local park district and it's been an adventure to see how he establishes his own rules for "going to class".  His other grandparents took him to the first class which was held in a large room with a stage up front. They took a series of pictures which show Spiderman's way of assimilating into the group. The first picture shows Spiderman sitting cross-legged facing the stage a good 30 feet from the rest of the group. Because he is the only one in the frame, it looks like he is taking a personal meditation class! The second picture, 15 minutes later, shows him only 10 feet from the rest of the group - still separated but he's gaining on them. He must be feeling a little more comfortable after gauging what's been going on between the instructor and the other kids. But he's not just ready to jump in with both feet. The last picture shows him fully engaged with the group. He eventually told his grandma to leave the room. He came, he saw, he conquered! Well something like that.

The most recent series of classes took place at a small local zoo. It involved the zoo educator reading a story to the group, doing a craft project about an animal and then actually getting to see an animal up close and personal. The first day I said, "It's time for class", to which he replied with his arms folded and his eyes focused on the ground, "No... no...no want to go to class!" I countered this response by saying, "ok, we won't go to class, we will just watch". He thought for a second and said "ok".  Chalk one up for Papa! He listened to the story at the back of the room and quickly did the craft (I think it was more Papa's craft). He was very excited to see what animal they had in the box. First there was the blue tongued skink. He was fascinated with it's name and was the only one wanting to actually touch it. The following weeks he got to see a Walking Stick, a horse (whch was not in a box!) and his favorite - a snake - a black rat snake to be specific. He loved "petting" it. He asked the lady if he was going to a snake every week. No surprisingly, his grandma was nowhere to be found!

As he ran towards the lady with the snake, I could swear I saw him unbuttoning his jacket revealing a large "S" on his shirt underneath. But maybe that was just my imagination. It does also stand for Spiderman.