Affirmative defense

Alright kiddo, do you remember playing tag? When you were playing, sometimes your friends would try to tag you, right? But, sometimes you would say "time out!" and put your hands up in the air to make a safe zone. That way, your friends couldn't tag you while you were in that safe zone.

That's kind of like an affirmative defense. See, in a courtroom, someone might be accused of doing something wrong, just like you might be accused of being tagged when you're playing tag. But, if that person has a good reason for what they did, they can say "time out!" and use an affirmative defense.

When they use an affirmative defense, it's like they're saying, "Yes, I did what they say I did, but I had a good reason for doing it." Just like you had a good reason for stopping your friends from tagging you.

There are lots of different affirmative defenses that people can use in court. For example, if someone hurt someone else, they might say that they did it to protect themselves or someone else. Or, they might say that they were forced to do it by someone else.

So, basically, an affirmative defense is like saying "time out!" in tag. It's a way for someone who's being accused of something to show that they had a good reason for what they did.