Sunday, November 30, 2008

Family Home Violence

If Amaya turns out okay, everyone will wipe their foreheads with their pointer and middle fingers, and say, "Whew. That was a close one."
It's no secret I love action movies and have no problem watching good guys beat up bad guys. I guess a little (ok, so it's big) part of me wants to be a CIA agent feared for her physical and mental prowess. Amaya has decided I'm the bad guy, and she's the good guy, so she punches me with her little fists, in rapid fire motion like I'm a speed bag.

While watching Kung Fu Panda for the 10th time, I caught her trying to punch out the screen on the computer during the crucial battle scene.

I might have chalked that up to an anomaly, had she not been lately saying, "Hiiiiiiii YA!" and chopping me with her miniature karate hands. This is a perfect mirror of Miss Piggy in The Muppet Show, if you didn't know.

So now I'm wondering. Should I be nurturing this, or squelching it? Maybe I can press upon her my dreams of espionage and Mission Impossible scenarios. Once we get past all of the hitting other little kids in nursery part of it anyway.

8 comments:

Heidi said...

My oldest is 19 and still, kids are a mystery to me. They come so who they are from day one. However, my oldest (same oldest) tended to get violent when he watched violent things whereas the rest of mine didn't. When he started trying out his karate chops on the kids at school, I pulled the plug on Power Rangers. He didn't watch it even when he got older and was more in control of himself even though he wanted to. Now that he is the afore-said 19, he watches it and manages to keep the karate chops to a bare minimum. Phew!

Kristina P. said...

I'm thinking that maybe Kung Fu Panda was a bad movie idea. Yours is like the 4th blog I've read where their kids are karate chopping their siblings or other things.

Nicole said...

I'd venture to say that if she's up and active, encourage it. I'd be more worried if she were content to just sit on the floor and passively watch the show.

Smiths said...

I've been sucker-punched a few times lately too, and with no kung fu panda to blame it on. Taj does it in a playful way, which I tell myself means it's not that big a deal and since he's a boy I shouldn't be that suprised. It still hurts my feelings a little:) I'm proud of tough girls too, and think that kept in safe keeping, knowing how to punch like Miss Piggy could be a good thing.

The Crash Test Dummy said...

Hee hee. So cute. I love that phots. I say don't nurture it or squelch it. Sometimes smiling at it and then ignoring it works best.

Oooh. Verifier says repath. Hmmmm. Maybe I gave the wrong advice. Perhaps my children will be in therapy someday saying, "my mom never did anything but smile and ignore me!"

Mariko said...

Oh no. Smiling is not ignoring. I've seen ignoring parents, and they are not smiling.
Miss Piggy is particularly violent. I remember being a bit violent when I was a kid (not in sight of my parents though). I know Amaya's just playing around, but she also has been doing it when she's mad, but only hitting me. Never Jake.
I actually like Kung Fu Panda, so it will be too bad if we have to ban it.
Even when she's not punching, if she's watching a movie and sitting on Jake's lap, she's squirming like crazy or jumping up and down on the sensitive parts, at which point he throws her down and says "SIT STILL!" Which probably just encourages her more.

Mariko said...

Wwwwwwaaaaait a sec. Your oldest is 19? You are SO young looking. Seriously. There is no way you have a 19-y-o. Did you adopt him at 15?

Melinda said...

isaac went wacko with kung fu panda, too. i got him on video jumping on my bed doing kung fu moves. i had to turn off the camera, though because he smacked his head on the wall and i was laughing too much. and he was in his post-bath birthday suit.

the movie IS too good to ban. but maybe just limit it to "okay" spaz times, like not bedtime, naptime, or right before church. or when you're not home so you don't get hit.