it could happen to you... just like it happened to me...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 63

No one would ever think that your kid... would be the victim of cyber bullying.  Worse yet... no one would ever think your kid... is the cyber bully.  A supposedly harmless online game for the boys to play in the midst of SIP just took a wrong turn.  A dash of playground humor... a pinch of locker room culture... a bit of untimely joke... some harmless banter and some slight obliviousness can result in tears... feelings being hurt... betrayal.  The silver lining is... the boys will probably get over this in a blink of an eye.  If this was NN... I'd still be reeling.

Afternoon came... emotions subsided... things were taking a turn for the better.  NN initially didn't want to play baseball either, but she couldn't resist after hearing the laughter and the shouting.  Joyce even came out and took some berating from me.  Then it happened.... the one thing you would least expect to happen to you...

NN hit the ball across the street.  I ran after it and shouted, "Nooooo!" as it fell into the sewers. My back was to the kids... staring into the abyss... looking for our ball.  Then....the miracle happened.  I turned around and both kids stepped off the sidewalk and were running after me.. without looking for oncoming cars. 9 out of 10 times... cars could be speeding 30-35 mph down our 25 zone.  But for some reason... the young man was going uber slow.  "STOP!!!" I yelled.

The kids stopped.  The driver stopped.  Our neighbors stopped.  That wasn't any normal stop.  That was a desperate parent screaming at the one tone that all parents recognize.  I apologized to the driver and he took off.  Smiling... saying, "That's ok."

I was seething with anger... at the kids? at myself?  I was relieved... No one would ever think that this could happen to you... just like it happened to me.