Who's Raising the Devil?

Yesterday, the kids and I went shopping with my mother in Fort Smith. Of course, Moriah wanted to eat lunch at McDonald's. We accommodated her request. Since Moriah was an only child for so long she loves to go to McDonald's, play, and make new friends.

There were some little boys around her age (give or take a year or two) already playing. So, Moriah went in and started playing. One of the boys was being very aggressive both physically and verbally. Moriah came to tell me that the boys were being mean to her. We try to let her take care of her own little problems. I simply told her "So, you think boys are disgusting anyway. Just don't play with them."

There was one little boy (probably about 5) that seemed more than happy to want to play with Moriah. So, they went into the Playplace and I could actually here the other boys taunting them; calling them names (Dumbo, Dummy, Baby). One of the boys said, "Oh, did I hurt your feelings are you going to cry, Baby?" I trying to not get involved hollered ('cause that's what we do in Arkansas) and asked her what she was doing. She said, "I'm just playing Mom!" So, I didn't do anything.

Then, they came down one of the slides. This one boy was running at Moriah and Samuel and kicking at their faces. Moriah was screaming at him to leave her alone. I took it for as long as I could. I got up to go over with every intention of just getting my daughter out of this situation and leaving. Right as I walked over there, the little boy kicked Moriah. I put my hand on his shoulder and turned him around. He looked up at me and all I could see was the obvious 665.9 tattooed on his forehead. I looked in this child's eyes for what seemed like forever and all I could think of was 'This is NOT my child! This is NOT my child!" I had my hands on someone else's child! I said to him, "THIS is going to stop! NOW!!" I turned to go back to the table and regain my composure.

Moriah and Samuel were trying to go up to one of the tube slides and these boys were blocking the way. They were calling them Dummies and Dumbo and wouldn't let them through. Moriah, after the 1st grade incident, refuses to fight back with words but somehow didn't feel it necessary to punch this little punk in the mouth. I don't know how; I chewed off three fingernails just trying to stay out it. Moriah tried to go into the slide and this little boy put his foot on her stomach and wouldn't let her by him.

This was it! I thought obviously there was no one who cared what happened to this kid or they would be over there busting his tail. I went over and all I saw was Moriah's big blue eyes looking up at me. She said, "I don't want to leave Momma, Samuel and I are playing!" I said, "Moriah it is time for us to go. This boy (as I pointed at him) is ugly. He is acting ugly. He is being ugly. He is just ugly. You are too sweet of a little girl to play with children who are that ugly." She said, "Mom, Samuel isn't ugly. He's my new friend." I said, "No you're right. Samuel is a sweet little boy. But, these boys are being mean and you and Samuel shouldn't be around people like that."

She came with me and we were leaving. I noticed that finally the grandmother had come out of the corner where she was sitting and was leaving with Satan's Spawn and his siblings. Apparently, the sister had gone and told her how the demon child was acting or maybe that there was some crazy lady fixing to attack him. As we were walking out, the kid looked up at me. I'm not sure if it was fear or anger in his eyes (as if I would be scared of him). As he glared up at me when I walked by him, I stopped, looked him in the eye and said "You are an evil ugly child."

Moriah asked me a few hours later why those boys were so mean. I said, "Honey, you can't blame them. Their parents didn't teach them how to be nice. They just have bad parents."

I'm sure I could have acted a little more like an adult in this situation. But, I felt a little "Playplace Rage" that I was really trying to control. Who if anybody is raising this child? And, what parenting technique are they using? Who made that child think that it is okay to treat other people like that? If nothing else, you would think that parents would have learned something from Columbine, Jonesboro, etc. etc. etc. DON'T BE A BULLY! I know my child isn't perfect; she couldn't be with me as a mother. But, at least, AT LEAST, we have tried to teach her that this behavior is not right. I know that she has been known to joke with her friends and call them funny names (PooPoo Diaper Baby, for example) but I haven't known her to be purposefully hurtful and physically aggressive to anyone especially kids she has never even seen before...........and she has gone to school in the ghetto for 2 years!!!!