# How Many 5-Year-Olds Could You Take in a Fight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435 "2007-12-18T04:45:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/1 "2007-12-18T04:45:23Z")
Test yourself [here](http://www.howmanyfiveyearoldscouldyoutakeinafight.com/). I can stomp 23 of the little buggers, thanks to my total willingness not to give any quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/2 "2007-12-18T04:48:20Z")
When I just read the thread title and thought it was a poll, I was going to say five. But the site tells me it’s more like 18. ---
**Author:** ![Aioua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Aioua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aioua)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/3 "2007-12-18T04:51:13Z")
19! Take that you dirty little buggers! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/4 "2007-12-18T04:53:52Z")
1. I’m sure I could take more, since the broken bones and death would scare the other little buggers off. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/5 "2007-12-18T04:57:28Z")
23 here. And yer damn right I could, too! Nobody – _nobody_ puts so much as a toe-print on my goddamn lawn. [sub]Little bastards.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/6 "2007-12-18T04:58:40Z")
[QUOTE=ShibbOleth] 33. [/QUOTE] Geez, and I thought _I_ was bad-ass. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/7 "2007-12-18T04:59:01Z")
1. I wonder how they come up with these numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/8 "2007-12-18T05:02:03Z")
25 here. I need to take up kung-fu, just to be safe. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/9 "2007-12-18T05:10:39Z")
Thirty-four, here. Apparently, I’m meaner than the rest of you. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/10 "2007-12-18T05:10:41Z")
I could take 31 in a fight. I am not suprised by this. However, if they were to bring me a peace offering of pizza, chocolate, or a season of The Simpsons on DVD I would call a truce. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/11 "2007-12-18T05:13:47Z")
The site says 20, which IMO is completely ridiculous. I have a 5-year-old of my own, and he and a couple of his buddies could probably bring me down if they were determined, and didn’t get distracted halfway through to go search the kitchen for marshmallows or something. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/12 "2007-12-18T05:21:31Z")
1. That sounds about right 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/13 "2007-12-18T05:39:40Z")
10 No comment. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/14 "2007-12-18T05:48:04Z")
1. But I’m a bit of a scrapper. I’ve also always been complimented on how well-behaved children seem to be when I babysit them. Me: “Here’re your little angels back, Mrs. Johnson! Oh, I’ll sit them anytime, anytime. By the way, little Annie Sue lost _five_ of her baby teeth today! Also, Timmy learned a new word!” Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/15 "2007-12-18T05:50:35Z")
28, I think because I can’t kick more than 3 feet, probably. I thought the thread title was, “How Many (of you) could take a 5-Year Old (on a) Flight”, in reference to the mom poster who had asked if a five-year-old could fly by him or her self. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/16 "2007-12-18T05:54:00Z")
I have 2 sons and am a Cubmaster, so there’s no way in hell I’d back off for a second in a fight with 5 year olds! They can smell fear, and they feed on uncertainty. But I’m old and tubby, so apparently I could only take 27 ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/17 "2007-12-18T05:59:03Z")
1. They didn’t say whether I could bring my baseball bat or not. Also, +10 if I get to do it to “Beat on the Brat”. Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh oh! ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/18 "2007-12-18T05:59:19Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I have a 5-year-old of my own, and he and a couple of his buddies could probably bring me down **if they were determined, and didn’t get distracted halfway through to go search the kitchen for marshmallows** or something. Those are two VERY BIG ifs. 29, FTR. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/19 "2007-12-18T06:04:42Z")
16, but seriously, you guys. Fighting little kids is not the answer. Recruiting the little kids into a giant army of adorable and yet lethal tots, however… ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435/20 "2007-12-18T06:10:00Z")
1. There’d be owees and boo boos a’plenty! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-5-year-olds-could-you-take-in-a-fight/430435.md?page=2)