My First Experience in the World of ComicCon

When my son Langston was 11 years old, he asked me take him to ComicCon in Baltimore. I didn’t read comics when I was younger, so I knew nothing about the about the comic book (or graphic novel) culture. But, I knew that my son did, so I wanted to give him an opportunity to experience it. As we approached the convention center, I was completely surprised by the number of grown adults dressed up as cartoon, comic book and graphic novel characters. My mouth was literally wide open!

“The Land of Nerds and Weirdos”

When I saw a group of young adults dressed up as characters from the movie “Ghostbusters” I said out loud, “Goodness! This is the land of nerds and weirdos.” Langston instantly replied to me, “Mom, I guess I am a nerd or weirdo too, because I am one of them.” In that moment, I realized how my flip words could potentially affect my own child.

The Impact of My “Words” on Others

After I apologized to Langston for my narrow-minded comments, I started to wonder if my “casual name calling” affected his own views. Did I unknowingly affect his self esteem? Have I taught him classism, sexism or racism without realizing it? To be perfectly honest, I don’t know. But, that moment taught me how impactful my prejudices could be to the thoughts and beliefs of others, and I needed to be mindful going forward.

The Practice of Mindful Behavior and Intentional Words

So, what do I do? Before I speak, I try to ask myself, “Are my words going to help or hurt?” If my words are going to be hurtful and/or not necessarily based in truth, I identify them as judgments, then I let my thoughts pass without saying them out loud or acting on them. If I hear my son pass a judgment on others, I ask him where he learned that thought. I want to get to the “root” of his belief, then I try to teach him the same practice of mindful behavior that I am now trying to practice myself. I pray with time that this practice will lessen the power of our misconceptions, prejudices, and judgments.  And, Langston will continue to be comfortable telling me that he identifies with a group that the world finds a little weird.

Side Note.  Over the years, I have learned to LOVE the comic book world, and I feel so blessed that Langston allowed me to experience the quirkiness and weirdness of it all with him.

Love and Soul Always, Kawania

Photo: Shutterstock