Raising (Super) Heroes | Featuring Pip and Bean Superhero Capes

When you think about a hero, what are the leading traits that pop into your head? My first thoughts point to bravery, kindness, empathy, intelligence and problem solving skills.

As I watch my son whip around our yard pretending to be a flying superhero in his Pip and Bean superhero cape, I can’t help but hope that he continues to foster the qualities and traits that are typical of a hero. He looks at his world right now with accepting and non-judgemental eyes. He exudes kindness towards all and has a keen curiosity towards the world around him. He takes the world heads on without a care of how others are viewing him and I hope with my whole heart that that never changes. I hope he can hold onto these traits as he grows and apply them to make this world a better place and help others.

I don’t think that in order to be a hero that you need to have a large act of intense bravery or do something newsworthy. Sometimes it’s those little things that can be heroic and are often not praised as well as they should be. Such as giving a new mom a reprieve to nap or even shower, helping others in times of need, or befriending those that need a friend or support (such as a child being bullied), among many other scenarios.

As a parent, I hope to inspire and recognize the inner hero and potential greatness in my children. I want to do whatever I can to raise tomorrow’s everyday (super) hero. I hope to see these traits strengthen, hone and grow within them. Below are a few ideas of ways that you can help your children to be heroic as they grow older:

Tell stories

Whether it’s storybooks with children as heroes or stories that you create, these stories are easy ways to explain the concept of heroism to your children. If making up your own stories, having your own children as the heroic characters is a fantastic way for them to become immersed in the story.

• Here is a great list for books with strong FEMALE roles (not always easy to find).
• Another great list of book recommendations based on different ages.

Emphasize heroic traits

Praise others heroics traits when possible. Bringing attention to those traits that are admired, helps your child to see that these traits are sought after and will bring them praise (therefore are self-gratifying).

Create scenarios

Create (or take notice) of situations in which your children can flex their “hero muscle”. If you see a situation where your child can help someone or fix a problem, help them do so. I always love asking my son what he can do to help or what he thinks that he can do. It’s great to see them work out a problem in their mind and be able to find a solution. It empowers them and definitely gives a boost to their confidence. Along this line of thought, think out loud when you are working through a problem. Allowing your child to see you work through the problem, make a decision and create a solution is a great way to teach them how to problem solve.

Model traits

This is most likely, the most important tip of them all. Be the person you want your children to be. Modeling positive behavior and traits, allows your kids to see it on a daily basis and it becomes the norm and expected behavior. Little eyes are always watching and little ears are always listening. Give them something positive to imitate. It’s not enough to tell them what to do and the best choices to make, you need to put them into action as well. Set the expectation to act heroically.

Below are pictures of my children in their new Pip and Bean Superhero capes! They are absolutely adorable and my son is having a blast running around and pretending to fly and conquer the world. They are extremely well-made, reversible and SO CUTE. I love how they can be personalized in so many different ways. They even sell masks and arm bands to match. We haven’t stopped wearing ours since they arrived (we get so many cute comments when out and about). If you’re interested in purchasing your own, go here to see their entire line. Continue reading below to connect with them via all their social media networks and to see more pictures of these darling superhero capes.

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These fabulous and adorable superhero capes were provided to me in exchange for a blog post. All opinions and thoughts are my own. I would never recommend a product that I do not love and enjoy.