the thing about heroes and 2 year old boys

We are big into heroes at our house right now.
Greyson is 2 and a half and all day long he talks about being a superhero
like Batman
and Spiderman
and Metro Man

He also knows that there are other heroes too
Like soldiers
and police officers
and firefighters

When we hear the fire whistles blow, Greyson says, "Hear that?  It's the fire truck!  They're going to help people!"

Last night, I sat in the parking lot of Walmart sobbing hysterically thinking about the babies who must have cried out for their mothers in that school on Friday.  In the quiet moments of my day, I am overcome by this awful tragedy and cannot control myself.

This morning before anyone else woke up, I sat on the couch drinking my coffee watching the news, when Greyson came downstairs and found Marco (our elf) and started to play with his toys.  A segment then came on about Victoria Soto, the 27 year old victim; a teacher that is being hailed for protecting her students.

Me:  "Greyson, Come quick!  A hero is on tv!"
Grey:  "A hero?!"
Me:  "Yes.  There she is, she's a hero.  She helped some kids from a bad guy"
Grey"  "Like Batman?"
Me:  "Yes, she was brave like Batman.  She's a hero"
Grey:  "What's her name?"
Me:  "Victoria Soto"
The news segment:  "Victoria Soto; a hero."

And then in a reverent whisper, my two and half year old whispered a superhero's name:  "Victoria Soto"

This is how we will move forward in our house; how we will cling to kindness and goodness.
We will learn and celebrate 26 new heroes.
26 victims whose names will live on in our house as heroes.
And to my son, there is no greater title than Superhero.