To the Rescue!!

I wish I could convey the level of enthusiasm Ethan has for rescuing us all from whatever horrible fate lurks around the corner.

The first thing to know is that Ethan draws his inspiration from many sources.  He loves Spiderman, Ironman and Batman, appreciates Jedi Masters and Sith Lords, and he's been known to shout, "Rescue Kitty, Tornado Power!" in true Power Rangers form.   

Light saber, sword, fairy princess wand, a travel toothbrush, various kitchen utensils - all these are often used as weapons. The princess wand was the best - give a boy a wand and he makes it a shooter.

He constantly needs a battle partner, and now that he's seen some Power Rangers episodes, he regularly issues hiyas and a whole range of sound effects accompanied by kicks and spins and ....flailing flips.

Its obvious that the only social structure that Ethan understands is a familial one. All good guys/ bad guys are part of a family unit. "I'll be the brother Bionicle, you be the sister Bionicle." Then they head off to fight the bad guys. If I happen to be the bad guy, and I issue an especially ferocious growl, Ethan will attempt to align himself with me in a desperate act of self-defense. If I insist that I'm a monster, he'll claim that he's my baby monster, and that even the most vile monster would not dare to fight against its sweet baby. If the monster cannot be persuaded, then distraction is attempted and, as a last resort, a plea to play something else.

Yesterday, we were waiting for Amara to finish her dance class, and Ethan created this whole world in the neighboring field. He would "sleep" on the concrete and wait for me to alert him to various threats in the neighborhood. When the alarm sounded, he'd quickly jump up and defend the premises.
Me: Rescue Dog! Wake up! The bad guys are trying to get into your house!
Rescue Dog: There are locks. They can't get in.
Me: Don't you want to go scare them off?
Rescue Dog: Well, if I run out there and say "hiya," it'll make them fall down, and I just want them to go home."  Thinking.  Thinking.  "If I say a quiet "hiya" it will scare them and they'll run away!"

On a side note: As cheesy as the Power Rangers can be, I'm a fan.  The special effects are cool enough to impress little kids, and they're far less violent than many of the superhero cartoons.