Every parent dreams of having a kid who's a genius, or a star athlete, or something else that makes them famous by proxy. But not everything can be gymnastics and violins. What if your youngster is a genius at bullfighting, or precision shooting? Do you encourage it and force them into a life of mediocrity, or embrace the fact that their talent lies in doing things humans probably shouldn't attempt at any age?

5 Michelito -- The 12-Year-Old Bullfighter

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Bullfighting isn't considered cool in most parts of the world due to the whole animal cruelty aspect, but one thing we can all probably agree on is that the sport is no joke. If you don't, go Google the image of that guy getting gored in the face (we won't post it here -- it's the one where you can see the horn punching up through his lower jaw and out of his mouth. Seriously, go look at it!).

Well, Michel Lagravere Peniche was evidently fresh out of fucks to give about any of that, because he became a bullfighter ... at the age of 12.

Via Dailycontributor.com

Not a Halloween costume.

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Michelito (as he is known to his fans) didn't do it on a whim; he got interested in fighting bulls at the age of 4, presumably because he spilled some ketchup on his copy of The Story of Ferdinand and the world suddenly made sense. He asked his father, a former bullfighter, if he could follow in his footsteps. Beaming with pride, his father enrolled him in a children's bullfighting school (yes, that is a thing that exists). In 2010, at the age of 12, Michelito attended his first event as a matador in Mexico City's main ring, becoming the youngest person ever to perform there.

His first bull, a 900-pound monster, was promptly dispatched, but the second bull sent him to the hospital, albeit with only minor bruises. Michelito wasn't deterred in the slightest, saying that the experience "left a good taste in my mouth."

Via Sky.com

"I normally like Gummi Bears, but blood just goes down better when I'm stabbing the ever-loving Christ out of a one-ton fury train."

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He continues to fight bulls today, and even tried to get into the Guinness Book of Records for being the youngest person to take on six bulls in a single day (wait, was there some previous kid who took on five?). Guinness told Michelito not to bother, since they don't keep animal-fighting records, but to come back when he can wear a 50-pound beard of bees or eat a shitload of hotdogs.