Pick It 'Till It Bleeds

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. After our library time, we decided to take the kids to the park to play. My son, in true form, brought toy weapons. He ened up with enough to share with all the other kids. The kids were playing, laughing, and having the time of their lives when...EEK! EEK! EEK! psycho mom had to step in.

One of the smaller kids was standing on the platform, where you can slide down the pole, and contemplating her courage for the activity. Instead of going over and letting her know, "Mommy is right here, if you need me", the pshyco mom ran screaming "No! No! You can't do that! You're too little for that." Courage, self confidence, and a willing to try-squashed like a bug. The little girl stood there having to endure another 10 minute speech of why she "couldn't" try to slide down the pole like the other kids had done. I understand her wanting to keep the kids safe, but...get a grip! After that, psycho mom hovered around the bottom of the playscape waiting for another oppurtunity to control the kids and kill their spirits. Pick! Pick! Pick! Peck! Peck! Peck!

Keep in mind that all the kids had toy weapons. Amazingly, no one was getting hurt, everyone was playing great together. There was a particular "bumpy" slide. The kids kept going down it and thought it was fun to (fake) wail in pain for their bumped bottoms until...PM started telling them how it was bad for their spines. Ok...ummm...what? "You can really dammage your spine and live the rest of your life in a LOT of pain." Much to my happiness, the kids cast aside the possible threat of arthritis in the spine in their golden years, and did it more, and more, and more.

On another slide, the kids all crammed together to go down the slide together. Some of the younger ones were crawling up the slide. There were about four crammed together, taking up most of the slide, so they couldn't get much momentum going. When they got almost to the bottom, their legs would scoop up the younger kids and finish the trip. Yes, it's all fun until someone gets hurt, but all the kids were laughing and having fun. Besides, the kids had done this a hundred times beofre PM saw what they were doing. She immediately put a stop to it. I think that is why the kids ignored her about the bumpy slide-they weren't going to let her ruin that like she had their "slide train".

In the library that morning, pscho mom had chosen a book to read to her daughter. I sat at the next table flipping through an old Country Living magazine. The little girl sat through the "word" book as her mom read, but by the time they got to "J", the little girl was getting restless. Now she did seem to still be listening, but she slid out of her child-sized chair to lie on the seat of it on her belly. Her mom started this crap of "Are you listening to the story?" "Yes" the little girl replied. The mom went on to tell her she couldn't possibly be listening if she wasn't sitting perfectly in her chair looking at the book. Ok, does this woman sit up perfectly in a chair and stare straight into her husband's eyes while he unfolds his day to her? Of course not! I'm sure she is folding laundry, loading the dishwasher, and cooking dinner! This woman can not ever sit still, so by her own definition, I guess she never hears a word anyone says to her! PM also pulled out the "If you won't sit still and look at the book, I'm not going to read to you." Sounds like kids on the play ground, "If you won't do what I say, I'm not gonna be your friend!"

Sorry to go on and on, but this woman gets under my skin! She is soooooo tightly wound, obsessive, high strung, perfectionist, controlling, I can hardly stand to look at her. PM's children are perfectly described in Metallica's song "Unforgiven" :

"New blood joins this Earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace
The young boy learns their rules

With time the boy draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on..."

I feel sorry for these kids, living a life where they can only think, play, imagine what their mom allows them to.