Saving the Day with Superhero Lunch Notes
click to super-size!
My son started preschool this year, and I wanted to do something special for his first day. I’m no master chef (and he’s a notoriously picky eater) so a super fancy/fun/creative lunch was out of the question. And he already had his Spider-Man backpack and Superman lunch bag and Batman t-shirt ā so he was set accessory-wise. Yet I wanted to do something truly, uniquely* Designer Daddy-ish to celebrate this milestone.
That first morning was pretty hectic, as it was a new schedule for all of us. Between making breakfast and getting JJ dressed and brushed and toothbrushed and backpacked, all I ended up having time to do was write “Daddy Hearts U,” on a Post-It note, added a quick doodle of The Flash and snuck it into his lunch bag. I pictured him discovering it at school, being reminded of his dear, old Dad, and bragging to all his new toddler pals how cool I am. Or more likely how cool The Flash is.
the first note
He loved it. And so the next day I did another, thinking I would do one each day of his first week and leave it at that. However, if you’ve ever had a preschooler, you know how THAT turned out. Toddlers are not known for their flexibility with a routine.
So here we are… 68 or so days later, and I’m still getting up a few minutes early each day to make JJ a note. But I gotta admit, I’m having a blast. It’s a great way for me to hone both my doodling and pun-making skills. It’s also been pretty cool having JJ’s teachers tell me how thoughtful and creative I am. But really ā and not to get too heavy here ā it’s all about my legacy. I’m never going to be my son’s sports idol. I don’t have vast carpentry or mechanical or bronco-busting skills to pass down to him. What I have is my love of superheroes and my talent for doodling. This is my way to instill in him a love of those things, and to keep being his superhero for as long as possible. Or until all my Sharpies run out.
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You can view all 68 (and counting) superhero lunch notes on Instagram. I’ll also be mixing them in on Facebook and Twitter, so be sure and let me know where you see them, and which are your favorites!
*While I haven’t found anyone else doing this particular thing, I would be remiss if I didn’t give props to David Laferriere, whose awesome series of sandwich bag doodles definitely inspired me.
Great idea Brent! My son is nowhere near school age yet but I hope I remember this closer to the time and can do something equally as awesome for him each day. Good dad-work buddy.
Liam:
Glad you like! It’s been a lot of fun. š My son can’t read more than a very little yet, so he always asks what they say, so it becomes a bit of a reading lesson as well.
How old is yours?
Brent
Brent-
I’ve been following your SLN IG page since day one. I think this is probably the most wonderful thing since sliced bread. JJ is the luckiest little boy to have a cool dad like you.
Noah:
I don’t know, sliced bread is pretty good! š
Thanks!!!
Brent
I wish I was clever like that, My notes to my eight-year-old twins look like some over-tired, under-caffeinated, reading-glasses-less old fart wrote them… oh, right.
Really cute ideas, Brent.
Thanks Bill! And you may not care for your own notes, but I just skimmed back over your blog and your boys are creative like gangbusters! I’m already looking at what I want for my Father’s Day gallery next June! š
Good to hear from ya.
B
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