One of the goals of any good parent, I think, is to have your kids grow up to be awesome.

And by awesome, I don’t necessarily mean popular. Or rich. Or having a job with a fancy title.

When my daughter Lucy grows up, I hope she turns out awesome. I do hope she has lots of friends, but I really hope she has a handful of great ones. I don’t really care what kind of job she has or how much money she makes, as long as she loves it, can support herself, and makes the world a better place. I hope she takes the status quo with a grain of salt and is brave enough to go her own way when necessary. I hope she stands out in a sea of average, and stands up for what’s right, even when others are too afraid. I hope she does things that inspire other people to be more awesome.

I hope her story is filled with love and fun and magic and meaning.

In a word, awesome.

I’m not exactly sure how one goes about making sure his or her kids turn out awesome, but I suspect that the parents who allowed their Dark Knight to attend this Princess Party are on the right track:

If the goal is awesomeness, teaching your kids that they don’t have to do the same thing everyone else is doing is important.

And learning the lesson ourselves, perhaps even more so.

Jason Kotecki is a dad who also moonlights as an artist, author, and professional speaker. Jason and his wife Kim (a former kindergarten teacher) make it their mission in life to fight Adultitis and help people use strategies from childhood to create lives with less stress and more fun. Escape Adulthood — stop by www.KimandJason.com and follow them on Twitter @kimandjason