The Caped Crusader

This morning, as I was in the kitchen packing Ben's backpack for camp, Ben was in the living room watching television. A commercial came on for a video to teach your kids about "stranger danger". I was half-listening to John Walsh tell me why I needed to order this video, and half wondering if I really did need to order this video, and half wondering if Ben was paying attention to the commercial or had zoned out waiting for his cartoon to return. And then Ben announced, "I don't need to be afraid of bad guys."

"Why not?" I asked, my silent question about whether he'd been paying attention to the commercial answered.

"Because I'm Batman," he announced matter-of-factly.

"Well, sweetie," I tried, "You still need to be careful and not go anywhere with a grownup you don't know."

He looked at me as if I was being utterly obtuse. "No I don't," he said. "I'm Batman!"

Great. How do I break it to him that he's not Batman?