"Superman = Superdad?"

Spoiler Warning: Parts of the "Superman Returns" plot revealed.

After seeing Superman, I was surprised there wasn’t an outcry by the Christian community. In the new Superman movie, he finds out that he is the father of Lois Lane’s 5 year old son. Before Superman takes off in his spaceship to travel back to Krypton, he and Lois have a one night stand. Without telling Lois good-bye, he gets on his ship and leaves earth. Louis is left pregnant and alone. Five years pass before Superman shows back up. Once Superman/Kent finds Lois, he realizes that she has a son. At the end the movie he realizes that he is the boy’s father. We see a scene where he is in the boys room talking over the child as he sleeps. He then flies down from the boy’s room and talks to Lois. Lois asks him if they will see him again. Superman responds that he will be around.

What type of hero is Superman suppose to be? What type of morals does this movie support? You might be thinking, “OKpreacher, relax! Superman is just a comic book story.” You’re right when you say that Superman is a comic book, but what was the purpose of comic books? They were a tool for teaching morals. Superman always stood for something. He stood for truth, justice, and the American way. Every superhero stood for something. They would use their powers to protect innocent people. Comic books were illustrations of people, when choosing to do something wrong, having to pay the consequences. Superheroes were good role models because they didn’t use their powers selfishly, but sacrificially. Growing up I use to pretend to be Superman and Batman and my parents didn’t care because they knew what they stood for.

Now that I proved that I was a superhero nerd, I still believe that Superman brings the wrong message to children. You can't be a deadbeat dad and still be a superhero. The plot of the movie is that Superman is the savior of the world, but he neglects his family. Any person can tell you that the greatest influence a man can make is his influence with his family. Better to be a Superman to my wife and my kids then to the rest of the world.

In closing you don’t have to be Superman to be a Superdad. All you have to do is be committed to your family. Show your child that you love their mother and are committed to her. If that isn’t an option then communicate and work with her in raising your child. Spend quality time with your child. Play games and do things that allow them to know that you value them. If the quality time you spend with them is while they are sleeping, like Superman from the movie, you are missing it. Spend time talking to them and loving on them. What a child needs most isn’t your money, but your time. Commit to being a Superdad because that will make you a Superman.