Lord of the flies

What does one get when a group of four boys move as a pack of wild dogs? Well this afternoon it was an attempt at peeping at my daughter while she used the park's toilet facility. What happens when you add a fierce mother into the equation?

I'll tell you-- A woman willing to take on a gang of boys. I was as belligerent as they were. I dealt out verbal blow by blow. I stood, arms akimbo, legs spread speaking loudly. They did their very best to intimidate me. They called in re-enforcements. They threw rocks and sticks. I in the mean time told them to bring it on. I told them I wasn't afraid of them. I told them I was willing to "rumble" with them. Yes, I used the word rumble! I'm sure they have no idea what it means and it is possible that their parents won't know what it means either.

Crazy, huh? Well let me "flesh" the story out some more for you. While I had DQ and MI in the toilet shack we heard all this banging. I mean lots of banging. When we got out of there I don't know why I looked back but I did. There on the roof of the building was a boy about 10 to 12 years old. I whipped out my cell phone and dialed 911. I don't really know why I did it other than I could tell that this boy would not respond well to some good natured mothering. He jumps down from the building and yells at me. "I can't believe you called 911! I can't believe you called the cops! I wasn't doing anything!" Then he and his pack of friends continued to heckle me. Something inside of me slipped. Maybe it was reality? Maybe it was sanity? Anyway, all I know is I found myself telling these boys that I wasn't afraid of them and that they were more than welcome to take me on because I had taken on bigger and better than them in the past. I never yelled. Although they might not know that I can get much much louder than I was. They continued to try and intimidate me. They weren't going to stand down and neither was I.

In the back of my mind I knew what I was doing was risky. I knew that they could rush me and start beating me up but you know I was so ready to take down as many as I could before they took me down. When some of the boys started throwing rocks and sticks and I called them on this use of force another brighter boy did some reprimanding of his peers. I don't know, maybe my suggestion that if they actually were to hit me or one of my children with a rock I would file actual charges against them, and that a stay in Juvenile Detention isn't all that much fun helped curbed the actual aimming at my physical body.

How did all of this end? Well when the motorcycle cop showed up I waved him down and told him about the boy on the roof of the bathroom and how I thought he was trying to peer into the girls bathroom. What amazed me was how the child that had been on the roof took up an attitude with the police officer. This officer wasn't at all happy with the situation or the boy. Then all the other children were called up to face the officer of the law. And wonders of wonders these kids tried pulling wool over the officers eyes. Phrases like: "I don't know where I live." were thrown about. Amazing. I would never have spoken to police officer like that. In fact I never had to speek to a police officer when I was a child.

The aftermath for me was a jumble of feelings. I felt empowered. I felt vindicated. I felt stupid. I felt scared. I worried about what kind of message I sent my children. At first I worried that it was all wrong but after writing this out I realize that it is a good message. I am always telling the girls that it is okay to make a scene. That in fact, I expect them to make a scene and not to worry about calling attention to themselves should someone attempt to hurt or touch them improperly. I realize now that I did just that. I made a scene. I didn't actually (at the time) worry about calling attention to myself. That came later, after I had cooled down. Instead I lived the lesson, and I am proud of myself. You may differ with me on that but that's okay. I just know that I was dealing with this situation on a gut level. MY instinct told me there was something wrong with the situation. And I was right.

PS
After driving by the park today (5/23/07) Not only are there grill windows at the top on the sides of the building but the gables have windows that resemble transom windows. It would have been very easy for a boy to lean over the gable and look into the bathroom through that window.