Simon stayed away from them, partially because we guided him to other parts of the playground, but partially due to some emotional instinct. Another kid on the playground was not so lucky. He was playing in an elevated tube connecting two parts of the playground and some of the mean kids in the group were pushing him down and calling him names.
Worst of all, perhaps, was the fact that the cadre of terror was also hellbent on destroying this kid's imagination. He was pretending that the portion of the playground he was on was a ship. He was the captain, wind in his hair, jib at the ready, spinnaker unfurled. (I hope that all made sense, because I really just threw together all the sailing terms I know into a sentence.)
The monsters were screaming at this kid, insisting that it wasn't a ship, that he was a moron, that he didn't know English. Part of me was relieved that this wasn't my child, because I wasn't sure how I'd handle the situation. Would I step in immediately, or would that undermine their confidence? Would I let them carry on, bullying my child? For how long?
And if I did step in, what would I do? Am I allowed to touch other children? Can I restrain them if they're physically bullying my kid? Can I yell at them? Or does that, in a vacuum, make me look like the bully? I feel so comfortable with my own children, and I'm perfectly adequate with other children when they're happy. But other children when they're sad or angry or interacting with my child in a manner I find unsuitable?
I become a bit of a clumsy fool. What can I do? What am I allowed to do? I get exasperated with other people when they try to discipline my kids in a way I even slightly find disagreeable. It's why I just tend to freeze up when there are other children who are bawling or fighting. I feel like I have no right to touch them or discipline them or maybe even breathe on them.
Kids, right? If only every other child on the playground could be as perfect as mine.
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