Watching ‘Wonder Woman’ with my daughter
When I invited my 18 year old daughter to see the film Wonder Woman, she thought my invitation was a transparent effort to show her an example of a powerful woman.
It wasn't.
I was already sitting next to a powerful woman.
…after watching Dad in the dunk tank
I wanted to sit beside my amazing daughter in that movie theater to remind her that I saw her that way. She is also (not accidentally) the daughter of a powerful woman, my wife Betsy, who will readily step in to advocate for the ones she loves in a way that I highly respect and admire.
But she doesn't just get it from her mom -- I am the son of a powerful woman (my mom Lynn, of blessed memory) who never let her 5 foot 2 inch stature keep her from fighting for social justice over six decades as a citizen and in her capacity as a lawyer. In the 1960’s she traveled to the South to march for civil rights. She also lobbied and fund-raised for equal rights for women and pro-choice legislation in the 70’s and more recently, quit the law to run a non-profit to protect LGBT rights.
In my favorite scene from the movie, Wonder Woman strides across “No Man’s Land” in the face of enemy fire to save a village of imprisoned women and children. Watching that scene with my daughter next to me, I teared up thinking of my mom. Like Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, my mom always responded to the call to "do something" and not stand idly when innocent people were being victimized.
I am proud to say that our daughter, and our oldest child, both carry this character trait with them into the world. They both have an innate reflex to respond to people in need. Facing any opposition as they express their beliefs in their actions, they enter the battlefield prepared and well-armed.
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