C has been having a fairly rough time of it when it in the sibling wars that are constantly raging through our household. His biggest problem lately involves hitting. He knows that he’s not allowed to hit, and that if we catch him, the punishment is pretty severe. His little brother, on the other hand, has also learned that C is not allowed to hit. He hasn’t learned that the same rule applies to him as well.

This morning, C came running out of his room shouting “No, no, no!” His little brother was fast on his heels, waving a toy threateningly. The big guy came running up to me, scared.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. Every time I try to impress upon C that he is bigger than N. This morning I tried again. I called them both over to me, and spoke to C. “What do you you do when he tries to hit you? Just put your hand out and say ‘no! No Hitting!’”

“But he was chasing me!” he sniffled.

“He can only chase you if you run. Don’t run. Just turn around and say ‘no. No hitting!’ and you – ” I turned to his little brother and took the toy away from him. “No hitting. Do you understand? No hitting!”

He looked at the floor in his classic “look, see how sad I am?” pose.

I gave the big guy a hug, and then they both ran back off to his room while I continued working on the dishes.

Soon I heard C’s voice over the monitor. “No! No hitting!”

There was a loud dull thunk – the sort of sound a plastic toy would make if it were to hit a three-year old’s head. I winced but stayed at the sink.

I’m proud to say that the big guy didn’t cry. Instead I heard his voice get a lot more serious. He didn’t yell, he just got more serious. “No. No hitting. Did you hear me? If you hit me, I’m going to break you in half. I’m going to break you in half!”

I have no idea where he got that from. Maybe Little Einstein’s had a professional wrestling episode recently?

In any case, there was no more hitting or crying. The guys settled down and played together.

Yes, I’ll be having a private talk with the big guy once I’ve figured out what to say. On the one hand, those sorts of threats can’t be allowed. On the other hand, I do want him to stand up for himself.

That’s one talk I’m going to have to practice for.