Instinct

Filip has only seen 2 superhero shows, Catwoman and Incredibles. I told him we're probably never going to see Catwoman again, since that was one of the dumbest movies I've seen. Yet, he still remembers her, and he points out girls that resemble Halle Berry.

When we were going through a pile of hand-me-downs, he pointed to a shirt and asked:
"What's that?".
"It's Spiderman". I said.
"Oh" he replied. That was the end of the conversation.

A few weeks later, he found his cousin's sunglasses in my Mom's house. They were basic glasses that were red and blue, and they had a spiderweb on the frames. Nothing else.
"Spar-man glasses! Mommy, spar-man glasses!" He said excitedly.

Ever since then, he points out Spiderman whenever he sees him. Today, he cupped his hands over his eyes and informed me that he was Spiderman. The kid has never watched a Spiderman show, and now he's pretending to be him. He doesn't even know what Spiderman does.

Parents who spend the majority of their time with their kids have a great deal of power over what their kid is exposed to. They should be their child's strongest influence. However, I'm learning that power is not absolute.

Who teaches little boys to make engine sounds with their toy cars, or shoes, or whatever they have on hand? They automatically do it. Filip has been making car sounds since before he could talk. Now, they have developed into more sophisticated car sounds that include gear changes sounds.

It's amazing how much instinct is wrapped up in a little kid. It only takes the smallest exposure (like seeing a T-Shirt) to bring it in full force.
Maybe I should dress up like Catwoman when I clean the house. Then he might get into doing chores, because a superhero is doing it.