Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is easily my favorite super hero origin story. When I first watched it, one line stood out. Even though it was before I had children, I distinctly remember thinking, "When I have a child, I am going to teach him or her that."
And I have. But I did it without showing my children where I got my inspiration.
After a long 12 1/2 years of waiting, my son is finally old enough to handle Batman Begins. Earlier this week, we sat down together to watch it.
Luckily I didn't have to wait very long as the first thirty minutes of the movie are packed with teachable moments.
My heart began to pound as my favorite scene approached.
And then it happened. A father lowered himself down a deep well in order to save his son. As he carries his son to safety he asks him...
"Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up."
Timmy yelled, "Pause! That is what you always say. You ripped it off from this!"
Yes. Yes I did and I'm proud of it.
It was a better reaction than I could have ever dreamed.
To me that is one of the most valuable lessons I have ever taught my children. Childhood (heck life in general) is filled with failures. My kids fail every day... just like everyone else in the world who takes any chances. They don't answer every single question at school correctly. They don't pass the soccer ball like an elite athlete. They don't hit every note perfectly on their French Horn or Violin. They aren't always nice to their brother or sister. They don't always put away their Lego (and then I step on it and scream like I was just shot).
You know what else they don't do?
They don't give up. They keep answering questions (and asking them). They keep passing, playing, interacting, and... leaving their damn Lego out!
But they get out of bed everyday knowing they aren't perfect... and it doesn't crush them. It makes them stronger.
Kids need to know that making mistakes doesn't mean they are "bad" or "worthless". Oh no. It is quite the contrary. Making mistakes means they are brave for taking a chance. It means they are learners and to me a learner is one of the greatest things in the world. They are also "doers".
One sure fire way to ensure one never fails is by simply never doing anything. You can't fail a test or miss a shot if you never take them. You can't blow a job interview if you don't apply for the job. You can't get shot down by a beautiful woman at a club if you never ask her out.
You also can't really live.
I want my kids to live. In order to make that wish a reality, my kids are going to have to be "doers". They are going to have to be failures. They are going to have to fall. I will be proud of them every time they do.
Why do we fall MJ and Timmy?
So we can learn to pick ourselves up.
*I had intended to include at least 5 other life lessons from Batman Begins in this piece. But I failed. That is ok. Tomorrow I will pick myself back up and try again.
**I Understand that Batman Begins is not a movie for children. If you'd like to read my explanation of why I watched it with my son, please check this out.