Why I Almost Hit Someone Else's Kid Yesterday

We spent most of this past weekend at the park, giving the kids some time to run, climb, be with other kids and just enjoy being outside again.

Jake is just learning the joys of the playground, but Owen is a full on playground enthusiast. He runs from the car to the nearest climbing structure, hops to the top of a slide, sends Lightning McQueen down first and then slides down after him, usually headfirst. He has an absolute ball and is even beginning to enjoy swings, which scared him last year.

But on Sunday the parks were packed, leading to lines at the slides and traffic jams on the wobbly bridge and overflow on the climbing structures. Undeterred, Owen flew to the top, racing for the slide, and was pushed down by a "big kid" who was probably 6.

Standing below the bridge I saw the whole thing, and I was furious.

"HEY!" I yelled. "You just pushed him down! Watch where you're going!"

The kid was in the midst of a game of chase with an older boy, and stopped when he heard me. He looked back at Owen, who was picking himself up and looking a little scared.

"Sorry," he called back to Owen, who ignored him. The kid looked at me to see if that was good enough, but I had my Mother/Teacher/Grown Up hat on and wanted more.

"He's a little kid," I said. "You could have really hurt him."

In my head I knew this little boy hadn't meant to hurt Owen, but my heart was racing and I wanted to smack him. How dare he push down my son?

Dave calmed me down later, reminding me that the rules of the playground are like the rules of the jungle: every kid for himself, and only the strong will survive. Maybe he's right, but this just made me feel worse. What if some bully picks on Owen at school and I'm not there to give him the hairy eyeball? What is some punk pushes Jake and takes his toys? What if the "cool kids" make fun of them when they hit elementary school? What will I do the day one or both of them come home with a black eye, or their lunch money missing?

Right now I feel like I can still intimidate the bullies but what happens in high school when the bad guys are bigger than me?

I know, I know, I can't keep him safe forever, and someday he's going to want to fight his own battles. But now, while he's still little enough to call me "Mommy" and want me to catch him at the bottom of the slide, all those little mini punks better keep their hands to themselves. Because I'm watching.