# Unintentionally eavesdropping on my son: he asks God for superpowers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571 "2008-01-15T04:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/41 "2008-01-16T04:02:25Z")
I just wanted aliens to come and take me someplace cool. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/42 "2008-01-16T04:27:40Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] A plant eater with **two brains** and giant Godzilla like spikes on his back and a tail that could like, take out the fucking school bus maybe. [/QUOTE] [Urban legend](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_003.html). I will pray to Cecil to forgive you. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/43 "2008-01-16T09:28:31Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Il Palazzo] Because a random and unprovoked attack on religion is exactly what every thread needs. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] It was an honest question - I don’t understand why someone who defines themselves as an atheist would wish to bring up their children in one of the more dogmatic religous faiths. Bringing them up religious isn’t that much of a stretch to understand, but Catholic is (for me, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/44 "2008-01-16T11:46:54Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Hmmm…is he going to make an objective test of his possible powers, by flying out that window? If so, I hope it’s on the first floor! [/QUOTE] The transatlantic language confusion strikes again. I was all like “WTF?! :mad:” for the second or so that it took to remember that Americans don’t call the ground floor the “ground floor” like sensible people do. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Grey\_area](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grey\_area](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_area)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/45 "2008-01-16T13:31:44Z")
I just remembered a similar story from my childhood. My dad overheard a friend and I praying for walkie-talkies (I can’t remember if that was the plan or true innocence) and he got em for us the next day. The ones he got sucked though, only working within like a 100 feet radius, but it was still very nice of him. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/46 "2008-01-16T14:22:10Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] [Urban legend](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_003.html). I will pray to Cecil to forgive you. [/QUOTE] Well how about that. I’ll admit that my study of dinosaurs has slacked off a bit since I was 6 or so, but I’m almost positive that was in my books from back then. Books from the LeBrea Tar Pits even. Consider that ignorance fought. I’m kidding. Right now I’m smashing you with my awesome spikey tail. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/47 "2008-01-16T19:08:35Z")
Three words: **Jedi Mind Trick** ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/48 "2008-01-16T20:06:26Z")
I wanted to be black. In my 6 year old mind, not being black was the _only_ thing that would keep me from being Aretha Franklin. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/49 "2008-01-16T20:14:13Z")
To this very day, whenever sitting around barefoot, I am firing imaginary laser beams from my big toe and imagining the look of terror on the faces of my evildoer victims. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/50 "2008-01-16T20:32:38Z")
[QUOTE=Batsinma Belfry] I wanted to be black. In my 6 year old mind, not being black was the _only_ thing that would keep me from being Aretha Franklin. [/QUOTE] Well living in Funkytown that would be an easy assumption to make. Best you can hope for is Average White Band or Wild Cherry though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/51 "2008-01-16T21:12:00Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] It was an honest question - I don’t understand why someone who defines themselves as an atheist would wish to bring up their children in one of the more dogmatic religous faiths. Bringing them up religious isn’t that much of a stretch to understand, but Catholic is (for me, anyway). [/QUOTE] My kids know I’m not Catholic, but I’m keeping the “no God” thing away from them for now. Reasons for bringing them up Catholic? Well, because my wife is. Because the Catholic school is only a few kilometers from our house (we’re out in the country, so that’s close actually.) Because learning a bit about any religion as a child is not necessarily a bad thing. They get to have “Christmas” festivities at school. Although one certainly doesn’t need religion to be moral, some of the teachings are a good starting point: Lord’s Prayer, 10 commandments and all. Listen, I could just have easily married into any other religion and sent my kids to that particular school and really wouldn’t have cared. Religion isn’t an issue with me: fanaticism is though and I’m not even fanatic enough about atheism to keep my kids from learning about religion. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/52 "2008-01-16T21:17:20Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] Religion isn’t an issue with me: fanaticism is though and I’m not even fanatic enough about atheism to keep my kids from learning about religion. [/QUOTE] Well said. I think if parents adopt a Religion-Light approach (like Coors-light) kids work it out for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/53 "2008-01-16T22:01:45Z")
As a kid I always wanted to be Superman or Spiderman. Lately I’ve been envinsioning myself as flying down the freeway at car level just for fun instead of actually being in a vehicle. Also lately I’ve been thinking Flash-like speed would be really awesome because a 45 minute, each way, commute sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/54 "2008-01-16T22:33:03Z")
Holy shit. It happened. [http://articles.citypages.com/2008-01-16/feature/superheroes-in-real-life/full/](http://articles.citypages.com/2008-01-16/feature/superheroes-in-real-life/full/) Show the kid that article! ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/55 "2008-01-17T02:48:14Z")
I’ve been thinking about this thread since I first read it yesterday. Far be it for me to bring some paranoia into an otherwise fun discussion (and, for the record, I still want to fly, although I think telekenesis would be the most useful of the super powers), but is it possible that a young kid praying for super powers is responding to some extrinsic fear? I say this with the thought that, especially to a kid, superheroes represent strength, courage, and invincibility. If a bully is terrorizing the kid each day at school, or a mean teacher is making his life miserable, could his prayer be his way of responding to the stressor? I certainly hope I’m wrong (call me Delusion Man), but I can’t help but be bothered by his crying when he realized he was overheard? Embarrased, perhaps, but he may also be very sensitive to some deeply personal, traumatic experience. Just a (hopefully stupid) thought. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571/56 "2008-01-17T03:55:19Z")
[QUOTE=Atomicktom] I’ve been thinking about this thread since I first read it yesterday. Far be it for me to bring some paranoia into an otherwise fun discussion (and, for the record, I still want to fly, although I think telekenesis would be the most useful of the super powers), but is it possible that a young kid praying for super powers is responding to some extrinsic fear? I say this with the thought that, especially to a kid, superheroes represent strength, courage, and invincibility. If a bully is terrorizing the kid each day at school, or a mean teacher is making his life miserable, could his prayer be his way of responding to the stressor? I certainly hope I’m wrong (call me Delusion Man), but I can’t help but be bothered by his crying when he realized he was overheard? Embarrased, perhaps, but he may also be very sensitive to some deeply personal, traumatic experience. Just a (hopefully stupid) thought. [/QUOTE] Hey **tom** that’s a great response actually. My son appears to be well-adjusted however, and he’s doing very well in school. Parents can sometimes be the last ones to clue into otherwise obvious issues with their own kids though. I don’t think we’re talking about anything other than a normal 8 year old secretly wanting to be an omnipotent superhero. As mentioned, I also wanted to be Batman as a kid. But your concerns have registered with me and it sure is something to be aware of. Thanks muchly! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unintentionally-eavesdropping-on-my-son-he-asks-god-for-superpowers/433571.md?page=2)