My dad was never my hero, and it was ok to be like that..

 Who exactly is a Hero for someone? Are they the ones who do things unimaginable for you? Or they who makes everything works for you without you facing any difficulties?

For most of us, those early years of growing up, when we were dependent on our parents for most of the things, they were everything to us. In short, they were our world, and the rest of things were extensions of that world. And thus, rightly, they were the heroes in those moments. But, as our world extends beyond them, how we as kids understand and react to the exposure, along with how our parents chose to project their persona, do influence our’s early years of formation.

Looking back, I realized one thing about my dad, that he never tried to be a hero for me. He unassumingly never projected himself to be infallible or know-all kind of a person.

But is there an impact, if parents don’t project themselves to be invincible or take care of all worries for their children?

Maybe for the children, it is good; unless they get overexposed to the harsh reality of the world sooner than they are equipped to handle it in a reasonable way.

But for parents, it means, eventually children may not look up to them, as they would have, had they not shown their vulnerable side. It is a tricky path to tread on, where one does not indulge in extending their influences over their children.

Irrespective of how kids perceive their parent’s heroism, they eventually would realize that their parents are not after all, invincible. Maybe in normal circumstances, it would be so gradual that, change in perception looks subtle, and thus would be acceptable to both parent and their kids. Subtle in the sense, when kids start handling worldly challenges more on their own and parents start taking back seats.

When a parent doesn't choose to project themselves as heroes to their kids, they in a sense, expose themselves to be not look up to. In the scheme of parenting, it doesn’t look like an obvious way of parenting. Unless your persona is so grandeur that even with your humbleness, kids will always be in awe of you.

What I mean, though it is hard to be a hero for your kids, and allow them to grow under your shadow. But it is harder to be not one, and yet make sure, you prepare them to face the reality of the world beyond your shadows.