Hey You!

As I was picking Tanner up from school today I saw something that I was not expecting. I was sitting in my car watching students come out of school and walk down the street (I pick up Tanner a block away from school). Boy #1 was following boy #2 and right as they got to my car, which was parked across the street so they didn't see me, boy #1 punches boy #2 in the stomach, laughs and then turns to walk away.

Boy #2 falls to the ground and looks behind him to see where the other boy has gone. As soon as he sees that the boy is walking away he begins to hobble away (really hobble, and I'm wondering if he is exagertating or not - you know sometimes they're just playing and it just looks real).

But I begin to think, "should I do anything???" SO I roll down my window, and in my best "teacher" voice I say, "I SAW YOU!" The boy stops in his tracks and stares at me. He does not run away . . . so I continue. "That was not OK, that is being a bully. You need to go apologize to that kid right now." To my utter surprise he puts his head down and says, "ok." I was not expecting that.

So he begins to turn around and walk back towards boy #2. By this time boy #2 is a good block away. So boy #1 begins running to catch up with him. Boy #2 hears him, and so he starts running too!!! He thinks the boy is coming back to hit him some more!! The more boy #1 runs, boy #2 runs faster, until they are about three blocks away from me (Tanner has still not come by this time). So after running three blocks after this kid, boy #1 gives up and starts to walk back where he was going.

By this time the flood of children have begun to come out, including Tanner. I ask him if he knows that boy (#1). He says yes, he is in MOST of his classes. I tell him the story and ask if he thinks that they were just playing. He says no. I guess this boy has a reputation. I decided I taught him enough of a lesson, so we drove away. As we drove down the street, we passed boy #2 far away. I was going to call out to him to see if he was ok, but he looked fine and I didn't want to embarrass him.

Beware what you do . . . you never know who's watching!!