Well, we've observed another parenting milestone.
This past weekend, we started playing DragonLance with Mal.
Random is running it, and Mal and I are the only players. We're using a simplified ruleset (Castles and Crusades), and having a great time.
It's really stealth education (quick addition, rough probability, adding two-digit numbers together, vocabulary, action/consequence), but Mal doesn't know that.
I have to say, though, I think he could teach the Democrats a thing or two about how to negotiate. He's familiar with the first part of the story from watching the (gawdawful) animated movie, so we said "You can be whichever one of the heroes you want, or make your own character. You don't have to be one of the heroes like in the movie."
Mal, who had recently learned what a morningstar is, said "OK. I want to use a morningstar.
"And I want to use a shield.
"And I want to wear black armor."
At this point I stopped Random from taking notes and said "NO. You can't be Verminaard."
Yeah.
So then he says, "OK. What about...there's this girl, and she can do magic? I want to be her. She can turn into a dragon with FIVE HEADS!!!"
"No. You can't be Tiamat either."