Fighter, Fighter

My beautiful, extremely girly now 4-year-old had me in one of those funny parenting situations today. One of those where you are trying with all your might to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and to bring proper instruction, but where everything within you wants to burst out laughing.

At Bible Study today she was playing with a bunch of little girls in a tent together, along with one lone boy. I was across the room but thought I heard my sweet girl saying in her high-pitched voice, "I'm gonna get you. I'm gonna squish you. I'm gonna eat you. I'm gonna rip your arm off. Roar!" I walked up and peered in the tent and sure enough my pint sized girl was saying all of this to the boy who was WAY bigger than her (like twice her size). I was kinda perplexed as to what to do since she was saying all that and more with a smile. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist and tried with all her might to tackle him. (To no avail of course). Then she tried jumping on his back. That, of course didn't work either, so she tried the waist tactic again. (This boy was incredibly patient with the whole fiasco). I then called her out of the tent and seriously asked her if she was being kind to the poor boy. She replied, "Oh, yeah, Mom. We're playing fighter fighter and I'm trying to rip him apart". Uhhh....then it hit me she plays "Fighter, Fighter" with Joe (and Abi) every night when he gets home. Its her favorite game in the world. He pretends to be a monster and tackles the girls and harmlessly throws them on the bed and hits them with pillows. And he'll say things like "I'm gonna eat you. I'm gonna get you". I think this is one of the disadvantages to Joe not having a son :) But the girls love it.

That left me trying to explain to my girly girl that while "Fighter Fighter" is super fun to play with Daddy, you can't go tackling every boy you see. She really didn't get it, trying to explain to me that she and the girls were princesses and he was a dragon (just like with her Dad), but fortunately she obeyed any ways, and stopped tackling the poor guy.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing again later today when I brought the situation up again...she really doesn't get how she was being unkind :) I believe she'll do her best to obey anyways, but just in case, we came up with the plan that at the next Bible Study to suggest that this little guy be the Prince, instead of the dragon. She was happy with that, but then a moment later said, "Mom, I think he should be my horse instead". Oh well, at least he's not the dragon anymore :)