"Let's Fight!"

Every week we have Sunday family dinner at my parents house. The whole family doesnt always show up (usually that happens once or maybe twice a month) but there is usually a good number of us present. I love family dinners and I honestly, truly miss them when I'm at my house in Germany. So these last few weeks that I've been home I've been cherishing the Sunday dinners :) Something exciting is always happening on any given Sunday!

So let me do a quick clarification: "Wrestling", in almost any family, is with the whole body and usually involves rolling around on the floor with grunts and laughs between the boys. "Fighting", to the younger boys in our family, is doing punches. These punches are generally around the chest area but usually make no physical contact. I say "usually" because , like any boys, sometimes there is, lol. The parents usually discourage "fighting" because someone always ends up crying.

A few Sunday's ago, my nephew Gavin, who is 4, started to try and wrestle with his brother, Xander, who is 2 1/. Xander wasn't really appreciating the brotherly love and started to protest. Since I was sitting right there, I said "Gavin, go see if Jayden wants to wrestle. He loves wrestling with you so I'm sure he'll be up for it. He's in the kitchen with Grandma, go ask him". So Gavin quickly ran off, yelling on the way "Jayden! Jayden! Let's wrestle" and it was quickly followed with "Ok!" from Jayden. And being the boys they are, they started wrestling right where they were standing. I walked into the kitchen and told the boys to go wrestle in the front room where there was carpet and the ottoman that they could wrestle on without really hurting each other, so they both ran out of the kitchen on their ways to the front room.


I turned to my mom to start talking to her when I hear, coming from the front room "Jayden, let's fight!". And the next thing I hear is Gavin screaming crying! A few seconds later my brother in law comes running into the kitchen carrying Gavin in his arms ... who has a bloody nose and is getting blood all over himself. "What happened!?" my mom and I both ask. Peter responds "Gavin asked Jay to fight, so Jay punched him right in the nose!" I could hardly believe it! "Oh boy" my mom and I both said at the same time. Everyone was quiet when Peter asked Gavin "I guess you're not going to ask Jayden to fight again, huh?" "Ut-uh" with a head shake was all the response Gavin would give.


Gavin's nose bled for maybe 5 minutes, Jay told Gavin that he was sorry and gave him a hug, Gavin said it was ok, and they were back to being best friends. Only boys could become best friends again so quickly! Girls would surely hold a grudge for at least an hour! lol.