Superman Versus My Mom

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. . . It’s a plane. . . It’s Superman!”

My seven-year-old body shot up, off the ground. My right arm lifted above my head as my feet, clad in red-trimmed sweat socks pulled up to my knees, darted mearound the room. My idol and mentor, like any other boy’s fantasy, was a superhero.