Nothing seems to say hero to a little boy more than those who work in dangerous, dirty or demanding jobs! My boys rarely excite at the thought of playing lawyer, doctor or accountant, but they delight at the opportunity to be firemen, construction workers, soldiers and garbage men. These working class heroes represent what it means to be a man in the eyes of a little boy. Maybe it's the lure of using their bodies in addition to their minds, or the idea of wearing a special uniform, or maybe it's quite simply the big trucks! Whatever it is, it comes as no surprise that for the last few years (and probably for a few years to come) my boys want these superheroes at the center of their special days.
For Ty's 5th birthday it was the classic fireman, but for Wil's 4th he decided on something a bit less traditional and asked that the garbage man pay us a special visit!