Superman

I don't know why film producers have to market superheros to toddlers when real superheros like trash collectors already exist for kids to worship. One of the benefits to living on a dead-end road is that the garbage truck has to go by our house two times.
When C was the same age that H is now, our trash collector's name was George. We knew his name because George was also the father of young boys, and as such, was fully aware of his superhero status. George played the part to its full potential and had a rapt audience in my son. He would stop in front of our house to chat, and invite C to climb into the cab of the truck. This reduced my normally gregarious son to stunned silence. It was as if he couldn't believe he was actually having this brush with greatness. On rainy days, or days when we just didn't make it to the end of the driveway on time, George would honk his horn as he rumbled past.
A few years back I didn't think I would spend my Friday mornings in anxious anticipation of the garbage man any more than I thought I'd ever utter the phrase, "who ever came up with the concept of touch-a-truch day was a real genius," but fate has a way of intervening in these matters. It was a sad day at the Gartner house when George got reassigned to a different route. The two men who collect our garbage now are nice enough, they waved at H the other morning and gave him a friendly, "how ya doing, Buddy?" But they are young drivers and don't yet realize the cult status that three-year-old boys elevate trash collectors too.
As for superheros appearing in the movie theater this summer, let's see, there's the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Dark Knight (it's about Batman for those of you, like me, who didn't know), Hellboy II, and something called Hancock which, according to IMDB, purports to be about a super hero "who has fallen out of favor with the public."
Nothing good can come from flooding the theaters with superheros, even out-of-favor heros. You know the old saying, "if everyone's a superhero, then no one's a superhero."
I for one, may be losing my superhero status. Since it was proving impossible to keep enough frozen breast milk on hand, the pediatrician sent us home from the twin's four-month check up with free samples of formula to mix in with their rice cereal.
The breast pump is my kryptonite.

song: Superman • artist: R.E.M.