Parenting challenges

So the other day Billy, who's now 3 1/2 was throwing a ball at his sister Kaitlyn who is 1 1/2. It was a very soft/light ball that wasn't hurting Kaitlyn, and she didn't seem to mind. However, as a responsible parent I felt the need to discourage this type of behavior. When I asked Billy to stop he had the following explanation of why it was okay to throw stuff at his sister:

"But Daddy, Kaitlyn is a Spartan and I'm a Michigan guy...I'm Marlin Jackson #3...and Michigan guys beat the Spartans and that's why I'm beating her and throwing the ball at her."

Wow. I didn't know what to say. On one hand he can't throw stuff at other people, especially his sister. On the other hand, he was right, Michigan does beat the Spartans. Plus I didn't want to stifle his creativity, and if he wanted to pretend to be someone, Marlin Jackson is a pretty good guy for him to be. This is where it's important to think quick if you're a parent. After pausing a moment, it seemed like the only appropriate thing to say was "Billy, Katy isn't a Spartan and it's not nice to throw things at people or call them names."
... 1:14 PM | Talkback []