Batman syndrome

I sat in on a meeting with my daughter's principle this morning.  She has been getting in trouble at school lately for physically assaulting other children. She does not punch them, but she has pinched, poked, squeezed, kicked and choked others in her immediate area.  Now, before you get to thinking that she's a violent child, I blame this all on her grandmother.  Feistiness runs in our family, as any of the family stories attest to.

See, the problem is that Ana has a very distinct concept of right vs. wrong.  She believes that if one of her friends is getting picked on, and she is in the immediate area, that she should do something about it.  She believes that if her way of looking at the world is challenged, that she has the right to retaliate.  She desperately needs to learn how to talk to a teacher.

But I have to wonder how many people wish they could see the world in such a way.  If your friend were getting picked on, would you have the guts to stand up for what is right?  If your way of thinking and seeing the world were challenged, would you be willing to stand up for what you believe in, whether you were right or wrong?  Do we gravitate towards movies where the good guys still wear white, and there is a clear cut line between the protagonist and the antagonist?  Look at Batman, Superman, Beauty and the Beast, Supernatural, any Stallone movie..... They all appeal to the part of us that longs for the good guys to win.

So is it fair to expect children to ignore this part of their psyche when they witness injustices being done in their small worlds?

No, I will not allow my daughter to get picked on at school, nor will I allow her to become the bully.  And if she gets into trouble at school again and ends up getting suspended, you can bet that she's going to be in some major trouble at home.  But a part of me completely understands where she's coming from, because, to be honest, I like seeing the good guy win.  I'll root for Batman, Sam and Dean, and guys like Bruce Willis because they are standing for something, however unconventional.