Some peoples parents

Friday evening I went to my son's baseball game. I had scheduled off work and while they warmed up I made some phone calls to clients. When the game began we (peanut and I) sat down on the cold cold bleachers. Immediately she befriended two kids, siblings of a boy on my son's team. Hubby was on the field with other dads coaching. The area I live in is pretty affluent. Growing up here the town was like a farm town but in 1991 it began to grow by leaps and bounds given our proximity to Pittsburgh. Now it is the 'place to live' and houses are going up faster and faster. More and more expensive. I've noticed that while these people have money, that doesn't make them nicer.

At his games I talk to other parents and cheer. That day I made some phone calls, left messages to future clients and made one appt for a new client. Then I went to watch and cheer. It was in the low 50's, windy and cold so that made it fun. For an hour and a half my daughter was playing nicely with the two kids, not a problem, conflict or anything. They were playing around a tree as home base. Two VERY rambunctious kids run into the group of kids. The boy with my daughter tries to say that they were there first as does my daughter while the other girl leaves.

I watch from a short distance away figuring that 'play ground' rules apply and will let them handle things on their own. But these kids are all over the other ones, screaming at my daughter as my daughter screams back. She kicks them after they push her and that's when I poise to intervene. My method of choice, after a few more screams from the boys and as I watch as the other two kid's mothers stand by, was to go grab my daughter and pluck her out of the crowd. I carry her crying back to the bench and tell her if they don't want to play with her then don't play with them. Heck on them. That she didn't need to be scratched. I didn't whisper it but I didn't yell it. I was telling my daughter, not the other mom's. I don't want my daughter thinking she needs to take that stuff and was trying to teach her when to walk away. That must have upset the moms. But the boys left. So I let her back down and she ran to the tree.

They came back and ripped the leaf out of her hand that she had been holding, scratching her again. The other moms come swarming... obviously the lone little girl 6 inches shorter than the boys was to blame, right? So I plucked her away and told her again that she didn't need to take that. We sit back down. They leave one more time. I let her get up and I go with her. I stand sentry to her while watching the game. Never once did I say a THING to the other kids or moms. I decide to just remove her from the problems and deal with it without conflict. It seemed to me the better choice but these parents had something else in mind.

After about 10 minutes one of the boys came running over and threw a glove at my head, hitting me. I stood there with a shocked look on my face. What the heck was that all about? I mean which one of the kids (him versus my daughter) is the problem maker I ask you? Who does that to an adult? One of the women's husbands came walking over to retreive the glove and says, 'I'm sorry ma'am.' But THEN ADDED THIS!! "But she WAS kicking them."

WTF!!???

I laughed out loud in surprise with aN 'oh yeah that's mature' look on my face. I can not believe that that was a parent's response to the situation at hand! To drop an insult and gloss over his son's actions. I was in shock. What was this!? I did nothing, she did nothing what the heck was with the attack? I lean down to my daughter and tell her that kicking those boys wasn't a good thing and to not do that but if she has to protect herself then she could do that.

So the game ended and we walked over to my son's bench. As we headed back to the car I began to tell hubby about the interaction. I didn't get to tell him much by the time we get to our car. That's when I realize that one of the bitches was parked next to us with one empty spot between us. My daughter, being the spunky little one that she was, says to the boys 'see you brats' in a sing songy voice. At least I think she did, I didn't hear her because I was talking to hubby. How did I get informed that she had said it? You ask. I was floored when this woman leans into my 35" tall 33 lb daughter and says 'what did you say? Did you call my kids brats?" I looked up from my conversation surprised by the interruption, wondering wtf this lady was saying. That's when I realize she was adressing my 5 year old daughter who was dwarfed by her. She got all disgusted and said 'incredible', shaking her head.

THAT'S IT!!! I remained quiet long enough. I'm done lady.

"What's incredible is two boys picking on a little girl" I retort.

"She was kicking them" she replies.

"And she was corrected for that. But they were all over her." Game on lady.

She makes comments under her breath but turns her back to me. My daughter was crying, my husband stuned because he had no idea what was being said. 'I can't believe it's coming to this,' I say. "Unbelievable.' Now you tell me when it's okay to have two boys gang up on one smaller girl regardless of her standing up for herself or not. This woman kept commenting under her breath. And I finally said in her method of backhanded discussion, 'You did nothing wrong, sweet heart, they are brats.'

After recounting it all that had happened prior to hubby he was pacing at home, he was so angry. They play this team again. I know I shall stay on the side of my teams bench but I need to mentally prepare should these losers decide to pick on a tiny girl and her 5' tall mom and gang up on her 3 to one.