Toddler Mistakes Sister's Wrestling Match For Real Fight, Runs In To Save Her

Family came first for this brave toddler.

The 2-year-old boy ran to his older sister Ruby’s rescue during her wrestling match at an elementary school meet in Columbia City, Indiana, on Sunday.

The youngster apparently thought Ruby was involved in a real fight with 5-year-old wrestling opponent Ryan, and charged over to save the day.

The kid grabbed his sister’s adversary and tried to drag him away, before the referee broke up the impromptu intrusion.

Ryan’s mother, Tori “Allen” Prendergast, shared footage taken by her husband to Facebook late Sunday. It’s now going viral.

“I was working and missed the match, but when I got home he showed me the video and I knew we had to share it,” Prendergast told HuffPost on Wednesday.

“It was so cute. The whole place was cracking up when it happened,” she added. “I only have boys, but if I had a daughter, I hope they would protect their sister like that.”

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Attention-Seeking Children Are Better Learners Later On

Toddlers who constantly demand ""look at me!" are most likely to become better collaborators and learners when they're older, a study published in the journal <em>Child Development</em> found.   <a href="http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112497156/attention-seeking-children-learn-better-later-on/" target="_hplink">Author Marie-Pierre Gosselin said that</a>, "Toddlers whose parents have consistently responded positively to their attention-seeking expect interactions to be fulfilling. As a result, they're eager to collaborate with their parents' attempts to socialize them."

It's Not Their Fault They're Selfish

Researchers studied the behavior and brain scan images of kids while they played with others, were given rewards and prompted to share with their playmates. <a href="http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/07/10602433-selfish-kids-blame-it-on-their-immature-brains" target="_hplink">The findings revealed that</a>, "even though young children understood how sharing benefited the other child, they were unable to resist the temptation to make the 'selfish' decision to keep much of the reward for themselves."    But thankfully, as a child's brain matures, so will the child. "Brain scans revealed a region that matures along with children's greater ability to make less selfish decisions," the study found.

Snorers Might Later Become Hyperactive

Children who snore or have sleep apnoea are more likely to be hyperactive by the age of 7. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17237576" target="_hplink">Researcher, Dr. Karen Bonuck said</a> a toddler's "sleep problems could be harming the developing brain."

They Hear Their Own Words Differently

<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/12/23/toddlers-hear-their-own-words-differently-says-study/" target="_hplink">According to Ewen MacDonald</a> of the Technical University of Denmark, adults monitor their voices so that the sound reflects what is intended. But, "2-year-olds do not monitor their auditory feedback like adults do, suggesting they are using a different strategy to control speech production," he said.

Missed Naps Could Lead To Mood Disorders

<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/missed-naps-could-put-toddlers-risk-mood-disorders-140406546.html" target="_hplink">Researchers found that depriving toddlers of a daily nap</a> led to "more anxiety, lower levels of joy and interest, and reduced problem-solving abilities." Kids in the focus group who missed naps were not able to "take full advantage of exciting and interesting experiences and to adapt to new frustrations."

They Succumb To Peer Pressure

Two-year-olds in a focus group "were more likely to copy an action when they saw it repeated by three other toddlers than if they saw an action repeated by just one other toddler," a study published in the journal Current Biology found.
Two-year-olds in a focus group "were more likely to copy an action when they saw it repeated by three other toddlers than if they saw an action repeated by just one other toddler," a study published in the journal Current Biology found.

Their Memories Are Better Than You Think

<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/04/children_s_memories_toddlers_remember_better_than_you_think_.html" target="_hplink">In a recent Slate article</a>, Nicholas Day illustrated a timeline of what scientists have learned about toddlers' memories over the last few decades. Before the 80s, it was believed that babies and young toddlers lived in the present with no memory of the past. Twenty years ago, however, a study found that 3-year-olds could recount memories of Disney World 18 months after they visited. And recently, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01699.x/abstract" target="_hplink">research noted</a> a  "27-month-old child who'd seen a 'magic shrinking machine' remembered the experience some six years later."

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.