his mother's son

yesterday after school, my older son and his best bud rode their bikes up to the playground to play "wall ball." when they got back, he told me that some older kid at extended day watched them play.

mom, he said. the kid told me, "you throw like a girl."

i am surprised. what? he said that? who the hell is this bozo?

my son continued. but i told him, "oh yeah? you look like a girl."

i am shocked. wait, what? you did? and what did he say?

ben continues: then he said, "you are a girl."

i am not even believing this conversation took place, but his honest-abe friend is standing there nodding his head, backing him up.

and what did you say then? i ask.

i said, no, YOU are a girl, dude.

i fill with pride. that was the whole conversation. then they left. ben is my nice child, the peacemaker, the conceder. he didn't start out like that. when he was but 2, he got mad at some bully kid in the chick-fil-a playroom and looked up at him and said, hey! you want a piece of me? then, as now, i was so proud. i don't encourage fighting, not in the least. but i also refuse to be bullied, or let my children be. they know where to kick a perv if they should run into one in a men's restroom.

and luckily, this playground was (somewhat) (loosely) supervised. because otherwise, maybe he should have just pedaled away as fast as he could. i mean, let's don't be a fool, either.

when i tell my mother this story, she is profoundly offended. what? he said ben can't throw? does he know that he's a pitcher in baseball, for crying out loud? that boy is jealous. he just saw how well ben threw and-----

mom, i interrupt. it's okay.

and i am immediately glad that she wasn't here to hear the live version, or the boy would have been staring down a very angry grandmother on said playground.

but the point is, i'm glad to see this child has a bit of me in him. he doesn't look like me. he doesn't act like me. he reminds me to be nice and watch my language, please. but just don't tell the boy he can't throw. he knows he can throw. and he will kick your lily-white ass (sorry, ben) if you tell him otherwise.