Forum: Movie teaches us how to be super parents
Strip away the superhuman gloss, and you'll see that Clark Kent didn't become Superman because he was born on Krypton. He became Superman because he was raised by the Kents.
Jonathan and Martha Kent didn't raise a god. They raised a man. A kind, thoughtful man who uses his strength not to impose, but to protect. They taught him humility, empathy and restraint – values that aren't taught through power, but through love and example.
In a world obsessed with meritocracy, where achievement is often mistaken for virtue, this message resonates more than ever. Modern parenting sometimes veers into raising children to believe they are exceptional simply because they scored well, got into the right school, or won a medal. That can breed a quiet kind of arrogance: the belief that being talented or successful entitles one to praise, privilege or power.
But the Kents raised Clark differently, teaching him that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. That the strong must protect the weak. That having power means choosing not to use it carelessly – a lesson rarely heard in today's high-performance culture.
Imagine if Superman had been raised without this moral foundation. The same powers that saved the world could have destroyed it. And isn't that the quiet warning buried in the Superman myth? That the most dangerous person is not the one with great power, but the one without the right guidance.
Perhaps the real heroes of the Superman story aren't just those who fly or fight. Perhaps the real heroes are the ones who raise children not to think they are gods, but to remember they are human.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide
Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts
Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole
Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt
World Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel opens aid routes
Sport Arsenal beat Newcastle in five-goal thriller to bring Singapore Festival of Football to a close
Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE
Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021
Derek Low
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
42 minutes ago
- CNA
Asia Tonight - Sat 26 Jul 2025
Asia Tonight About the show: Top stories of the day with 'live' reports and interviews to keep you up-to-date on what's happening in one of the most dynamic regions of the world. Daily at 8pm (SIN / HK)
Business Times
4 hours ago
- Business Times
‘Fantastic Four' wins battle of heroes at North American box office
[LOS ANGELES] The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Disney's hotly anticipated reboot of the Marvel Comics superhero franchise, conquered the North American weekend box office, earning US$118 million and sidelining Superman, industry estimates showed on Sunday. Fantastic Four - starring actor-of-the-moment Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Emmy winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) - tells the story of a team of heroes trying to save a retro-futuristic world from the evil Galactus. 'This is an outstanding opening,' said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. 'Fantastic Four was a modest and struggling superhero series; it just caught up with the biggest and the best.' Superman, the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic superhero from Warner Bros. and DC Studios, slipped to second place at US$24.9 million, Exhibitor Relations said. That puts the global take of the film, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, over the US$500 million mark. Jurassic World: Rebirth - the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga - finished in third place at US$13 million. Its worldwide total stands at US$672.5 million. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility, where secrets - and genetically mutated dinosaurs - are lurking. F1: The Movie, the Apple and Warner Bros flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, moved up to fourth place at US$6.2 million. Smurfs, the latest film featuring the adorable blue creatures and starring Rihanna as Smurfette, slipped to fifth place in only its second week in theatres with US$5.4 million in North American ticket sales. 'The box office is on an excellent run that started two weeks ago,' Gross said. 'These are not the good old days, but Fantastic Four and Superman are performing extremely well. Superheroes are showing some swagger, and it's good news for the industry.' Rounding out the top 10 were: I Know What You Did Last Summer (US$5.1 million) How to Train Your Dragon (US$2.8 million) Eddington (US$1.7 million) Saiyaara (US$1.3 million) Oh, Hi! (US$1.1 million). AFP
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Forum: Movie teaches us how to be super parents
O ver the years, I've watched many iterations of Superman on screen. With every retelling, the core of the story seems to shimmer through all the computer-generated imagery, battles and cape-swirling: Superman is not just a story about power. It's a story about parenting. Strip away the superhuman gloss, and you'll see that Clark Kent didn't become Superman because he was born on Krypton. He became Superman because he was raised by the Kents. Jonathan and Martha Kent didn't raise a god. They raised a man. A kind, thoughtful man who uses his strength not to impose, but to protect. They taught him humility, empathy and restraint – values that aren't taught through power, but through love and example. In a world obsessed with meritocracy, where achievement is often mistaken for virtue, this message resonates more than ever. Modern parenting sometimes veers into raising children to believe they are exceptional simply because they scored well, got into the right school, or won a medal. That can breed a quiet kind of arrogance: the belief that being talented or successful entitles one to praise, privilege or power. But the Kents raised Clark differently, teaching him that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. That the strong must protect the weak. That having power means choosing not to use it carelessly – a lesson rarely heard in today's high-performance culture. Imagine if Superman had been raised without this moral foundation. The same powers that saved the world could have destroyed it. And isn't that the quiet warning buried in the Superman myth? That the most dangerous person is not the one with great power, but the one without the right guidance. Perhaps the real heroes of the Superman story aren't just those who fly or fight. Perhaps the real heroes are the ones who raise children not to think they are gods, but to remember they are human. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt World Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel opens aid routes Sport Arsenal beat Newcastle in five-goal thriller to bring Singapore Festival of Football to a close Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021 Derek Low
