We don’t encourage our three boys to play with toy guns, but they do own one or two. One of their ‘firearms’ is a plastic rifle from some cheap wild west set they picked up somewhere.
Thing 1 was wandering around the house recently, carrying the said weapon. For no apparent reason he used it to hit his twin when walking past him. When I say ‘hit’, I mean a gentle dunt to the leg, not a vicious strike to the head or anything. However, regardless of the severity, hitting is obviously a serious no-no and I told my third oldest that his behaviour was unacceptable.
At this point, Thing 1 turned towards me. With a serious, but at the same time mischevious look on his face, he pointed the gun in my direction. Then, like some dangerous assassin from a film, he closed one eye and used the other to stare down the barrel of the rifle.
“Make my day”
I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. As far as I’m aware none of my kids has seen or heard of Dirty Harry – yet here he was, looking like he could blow my head off with a single shot. I can only assume that the line has been used in some kids programme.
It was one of those moments that every parent must surely encounter – where you can’t decide if you should be furious for the downright insolence of your child, or if you should laugh, because it’s just so funny. To be honest, I think I fell somewhere in between, trying to act annoyed not really convincing anyone.
My wife was in stitches when I told her what had happened. It’s hard not to laugh when your 3 year old is acting like Clint Eastwood.
Dad At The Deep End 