Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Playground Wars #3

No, this is not about Jay. I had my own playground wars yesterday. This happened behind our house in the school field. Earlier yesterday late afternoon, Wanda, Jay, and Wesley went out back. Wesley wanted to play with some of the boys that were there that he knew before. One of them had this toy shotgun that Wesley has played with before. He really liked it. The boy didn't want him to play with it the previous time and also again yesterday.

To give some background, Long story short, the previous time the boy left his gun lying around and another boy said he was going to hold it for his friend (he took it to the car). The boy came back to Wesley and another little boy and wanted to know where his gun was. He got upset when it got "lost". At the time, we didn't know whose gun it was. Now we know. We don't even know if he got it back or got a new one.

To continue with the story, when the boy wouldn't let Wes play with it, he cried. Lucky for him, we had saw the gun in the store and Wanda got it for him. Wanda and Jay told him we have the gun at home. He was so excited. They come home, we took the gun out and then he wanted to go outside. I was hesitant. What happens if that boy was still over there? He's going to think it's his. We need to put a name label on his new gun. (you probably know now where this is going...) He wants to go up to "big hill", where the boys are. We slowly go from the backyard to out in the field. I see cars still there and they're playing. I get Wes to play out in the field. I keep telling him that we can't go there, that boy is going to think it's his gun. We wait there for a while. Finally I see them packing up. Cars are leaving. There are two cars there, but they're just sitting there, drivers facing each other talking. Well, if they are sitting there, there is probably no little kids in the car waiting inside for that long. We start heading up to big hill. As we are sitting there, a truck comes into the school. A girl sitting outside is squealing, apparently her dad just got her a puppy. So all of a sudden a couple of kids are coming out of the cars. One of them happens to be the boy who owns the gun. He sees Wes and comes tearing up the hill, yelling that it's his gun. (And by the way, where is his gun...in the car?!?) Wes his holding on tight to his gun and running down the hill. Here I am at the top of the hill, yelling at the boy, "It's not your gun. We just got it!" I yelled it two more times pointing my finger at him and then said for a third time again, this time using his name. That stopped him. Then I walked down the hill to Wes. I turn behind me and see that a man gets out of the car (probably his dad). I'm thinking, "GREAT..Now I have to confront the dad". But he stays there and I keep walking with Wes back to the house. If he wants to confront me, fine. I'll show him the package and receipt. I have nothing to hide. This is the first time I've yelled at someone else's kid. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I hope I don't have to ever do that again. And, after we got home, Wes gladly let me put a name label on his gun.