I faced a barrage of questions regarding the purpose of our trip, followed by a bombardment of requests from Norah to "get out of the tool store and go the mall." I agreed to a short tour which came to a screeching halt at the indoor playground since it was apparent the kids had energy to burn. They immediately split company and joyfully bounced into the play area as I watched.
Soon afterward Justin stopped halfway down a slide and took a moment to survey his surroundings as kids passed him in both directions up and down the slide. My eyes stopped on a boy a year or two older than Justin as he climbed up the slide toward him. Justin and the boy both disappeared beneath the high slide edges, beyond my sight except for an occasional rapid projection of an arm, hand or head. Finally Justin's head and upper body jolted upward as he tried to separate himself from the bear hug of arms wrapped tightly around his neck, then both boys spilled down the slide.
Justin sprung up and pushed himself free amidst a flurry of arms. Once he created separation, he kept his distance and focused a sharp eye on the boy who returned his stare with a mocking smile, silently daring him to come closer. Simultaneously Norah's hackles were raised and furrowed her brow as she saw the two boys pushing each other and made a deliberate beeline across the playground, chasing the little boy into a playhouse and out the other side where they parted ways. My kids may fight each other daily, but for the first time I witnessed Norah protect Justin and couldn't decide whether to feel relieved or disappointed that the boy escaped her pursuit.
As I quickly made my way into the playground enclosure I rapidly considered my options to protect my kids without creating a greater problem with another parent or mall security. Interrogation, intimidation, correction, confrontation and all out spanking flashed across my mind, but I knew all to be poor choices and elected to wait and see.
It took me several seconds to get to Justin but he was still giving the boy "the stink-eye". As I arrived and noticed a long fingernail scratch from his eye to his jaw his body language acknowledged my presence, but he refused to avert his eyes to speak to me. It was obvious that the slow burn had set in when he defiantly declared "I gonna GET him!" He lurched forward to deliver his comeuppance, but not before I snagged the back of his shirt collar and told him that wasn't how we treat other people. He was not satisfied with my suggestion and repeated his mission with greater conviction. I gently lifted his chin, focusing his attention on my face, repeated a simplified version of the Golden Rule, and encouraged him to just go play. I was glad that my kids were willing to stand up for themselves and each other, but was uncomfortable that I had narrowly avoided seeing my kids beat the tar out of a complete stranger.
A cooled down Justin headed the opposite direction so I made a point of standing right next to the alleged troublemaker who looked up at me with what looked like a mischievously challenging grin, cast his eyes back to Justin again, thought better of it, and hid under a castle. It's hard to look at a kid without looking like you're "looking" at someone's kid, but I tried to act casual. After a couple minutes I saw the boy run up to a very small toddler coming down a slide with the help of his mother. I anticipated the worst, but saw him deliver a gentle hug and a big smile that both mother and child enjoyed.
I realized the boy probably didn't understand Justin didn't want a hug on the slide. As they lost their balance and flailing ensued, both misinterpreted each other's actions. Justin and I saw a bully, the boy saw a buddy.
Of course the little punk could be a budding criminal mastermind, misleading me by shrewdly repairing his image through a seemingly kind act of innocent baby-hugging subterfuge on the slide after it dawned on him that he had barely escaped a sound tail kicking by a girl, a kid half his age, and an old man, but I would rather believe that he learned about personal space and we learned about restraint.
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