I got back from a trip yesterday and was greeted by my three-year old son. He had something to tell me about preschool:
He said, “Matthew hit me today.”
So I said, “Really? And then what happened?”
He said, “I hit him.”
Reasonable enough for a three-year old. And around this time the teacher is probably about to get involved, and I’m pretty curious about what she did. “What happened after that?”
He said, “He hit me again.”
Uh-oh. This might not be a very good story. “And then what happened?”
He got a big grin on his face. “I tumbled him.”
I started to grin back. It was partly a response to his grin, partly amusement at his inventive use of the word “tumble”, and partly pride in my warrior son.
“I see. And then what happened?”
“Nothing.”
I burst into laughter. So did Paula. What would you have done?
What would I have done? It depends; are you asking what I would have done in your shoes or his? If I were in his, I probably would have “tumbled” the other kid too. If I were in yours, a high-five and some celebratory ice-cream would be in order…after which I would explain that generally speaking physical violence is not the correct solution to a given problem. That’s only speculation of course because after all, what do I know, I don’t even have kids yet. 🙂