Once upon a time I saw a young boy kick a similarly-aged girl. It was a ninja-style kick, his foot landing square in the middle of the bag she was carrying, right around her knees. I couldn’t hear what started it all – why he kicked her in the first place – but her retort made me chuckle a little bit. (I was smiling on the inside of course.)
“You have ANGER MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS,” she said.
And that’s when he kicked her again. I guess he couldn’t find a good comeback. As for myself, I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself and spoke before my brain was able to catch up. Let’s just call it a reflex.
“HEY YOU. Stop that right now. That is NOT ACCEPTABLE.”
I might have even pointed a spindly old finger in his direction while I said it too.
And it isn’t acceptable, not by a long shot. We parents cannot stand by and watch bad behaviour unfold in front of us, even if the children we’re talking to aren’t our own.
In this particular case, the group of kids parted and a few of them moved to a different corner of the park. Several little boys were afraid to look me in the eye, sneaking peeks at me when they thought I wasn’t looking.
“What did she say to you,” mumbled one little boy to the offender. I didn’t hear the answer, but oh man, I hope he remembers me. Always.
I wonder if I have a reputation now, if kids steer clear of me lest I tell them to stop whipping sand at one another or shoving each others faces in the dirt.
I’m ok with being the mean mom at the playground. I really am. If my kid was the one doing the bullying I’d certainly want a parent to step in and say something. Wouldn’t you?
