^{I was invited to an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles courtesy of Disney to attend the #ThorRagnarokEvent & ABCTVEvent in exchange for my coverage. No other compensation was provided. All views shared are completely my own.}

I’m a boy mom and my son, Chance loves any and everything superhero related.  He, like so many other boys, girls, and adults, know all there is to know about the Marvel heroes. When I told Chance that I was selected by Disney to attend the Thor: Ragnarok movie premiere, he was super excited (he thought he was tagging along).  I was pretty geeked as well, I fell in love with Thor during the first movie.  We won my heart after being forced to live on Earth as a punishment, but then protected humans against villains of his world trying to invade Earth.  So to attend the #ThorRagnarokEvent was a magical experience, the stroll down the red-carpet was fantastic, and the movie premiere was incredible.

When I made it home Chance had several questions but being the great mom that I am…I did not spoil the movie for him.  However, we did have a great time playing with the Thor: Ragnarok products.

 

In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first, he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

“Thor: Ragnarok” is directed by Taika Waititi and returns Chris Hemsworth starring as Thor and Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki. They are joined by Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson and Karl Urban, with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. 

 Kevin Feige is producing with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Thomas M. Hammel and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost wrote the screenplay.  Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” thunders into U.S. theaters on November 3, 2017.

 

I’m sure you’ve seen the glowing reactions on social media regarding Thor: Ragnarok.  I agree with majority, this is by far the BEST “Thor” movie out of the three.  A must see!

One day after returning home I found myself using Thor: Ragnarok to teach Chance a few lessons.  He shared that he was having trouble with a kid at school.  The kid was trying to provoke bad behavior by saying nasty and mean things about him.  Now moms, you know I wanted to explode and cry at the same time. We turn into different people when our children are being hurt.  But I didn’t, instead, I used Thor: Ragnarok to give him the confidence and courage to be content with who he is. 

I have to admit it was hard to capture the essence of the lessons without spoiling the movie.  But don’t worry, there are no spoilers here other than a few photos from the movie.  So, let’s jump right into the lessons.

---

#1. The Confidence Lesson

Thor is known for his hammer, how in the world can he be Thor without it? Well, he did not miss a beat.  Thor is not powerful because of the hammer and just because we didn’t see his power outside of the hammer, doesn’t mean that it didn’t exist. With or without the hammer he felt accepted and loved by his friends and family without it which helped his confidence.

The incident at school caused Chance to lack confidence a bit. He began questioning himself in the areas where he was teased.  It literally broke my heart, I wanted him to know how very special and amazing he is.  To build a confident kid, you offer words of encouragement in reference to their abilities.  It’s good to highlight their achievements because confidence is derived from competence. 

I told Chance the kid giving him trouble was just like those who believed that Thor was powerless when he lost his hammer.  They really didn’t know Thor at all, and that kid does not really know him either.

---

#2. The Courage Lesson

Thor is up against Hela, known as the “all-powerful”, ruthless villain. Not only does he take her on, he has the courage to take her after losing his hammer. 

Apparently, several kids were treated the same way as Chance and that caused Chance to be afraid.  My husband and I talk to Chance all the time about having the courage to stand up for himself.  Having courage does not mean that we are not afraid, it means to do the right thing even when we are afraid. 

I helped Chance understand that courage is a big thing. And courage is hard to see.  From the outside, it looks like you can’t but from the inside, it’s just you being your best self.

---

#3. The Contentment Lesson

Thor had to be content with himself against ally and fellow avenger, The Hulk.  He is aware of Hulk’s power and strength, yet he was satisfied with being Thor, a powerful god of thunder.

Being content is not easy. However, it is easier when we know who we are at our core.  Knowing who we are means knowing the part of us that does not change over time.  And to be okay with that person is to be content.  Even Paul had to learn to be content. In Philippians 4:11-12 (NIV), he wrote: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  …I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

I told Chance that no matter what anyone says to him or about him, he had to learn to know himself and be content with who God created him to be.

I strive daily to grow as a mom. It’s not easy helping Chance overcome labels and stereotypes that are taught out of hatred.  I pray so hard for him in hopes that he would always know that he is special and needed in this world.  My excitement of premiering Thor: Ragnarok quickly turned into a deep gratitude.  The action-packed, funny film with standout performances taught me lessons I could share with my son. It made such a powerful impact.

I could go on and in greater detail with my review of Thor: Ragnarok but these are the most important lessons to me.  And besides, I don’t want to spoil it so you can enjoy every amazingly hilarious and exciting moment in the theatre on November 3^rd.  

Have you ever had to deal with bullying behavior toward your children? I would love to hear what you think about these very relevant lessons from one Marvel’s superhero movies Thor: Ragnarok. Share how you teach your children to be confident, courageous, and content with who they are.

 

[latoyia]

• Like THOR: RAGNAROK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thor/  
• Follow THOR: RAGNAROK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thorofficial
• Follow Marvel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvelstudios/  
• THOR: RAGNAROK opens in theaters everywhere November 3rd!