The Lioness

Bad to the Bone?

Batman Boy had a rough start to Kindergarten. A mama’s boy with a passion for pleasing, you can imagine our astonishment when we got a phone call from the Principal herself the second week of school that Batman Boy had been in a fist fight on the playground and while that typically results in suspension because he is a Kindergartener and because they are still learning the rules, he would have to sit out at recess for 2 days instead.

We hoped that was our last run-in with the law.

Last Sunday Batman Boy and I decided to exercise the dogs and walk to his school to play at the park. As we entered the school grounds the dog tied up in the backyard of the house next to the school barked like crazy as we walked by. At that point I made a mental note to walk around the other side of the school when we left (me trying to hold on to two 120-lb bulldogs who would like to eat the other dog is not a pretty sight). So, as we head around the other side of the school building we are forced to walk on the sidewalk that runs directly along the classrooms and as I’m walking I see this brownish-colored writing on the sidewalk. I’m not actually reading it yet but I’m taking it in that this isn’t spray paint, but it ain’t Crayola sidewalk chalk either.

And then I see it. Sprawled at the top of the sidewalk art is: Leo.

And so I keep reading.

“I love Mommy.”

(quiet pause)

Me: “Leo?”

Leo: “yes Mommy?”

Me: “Did you write this?”

Leo: “yeah I did it at the after school program”

(longer pause)

Leo: “did you know if you crack a walnut open you can write with it on the ground just like chalk?”

Me: “no, Leo, I did not know that”

Between the fist fight and the graffiti I can’t help but wonder: do I have a delinquent on my hands? Well, as it turns out – no.

When the story about the fist fight finally came out it turns out Batman Boy laid on the ground while two other boys wailed on him and only did he hit back when he finally felt he had no other choice and his main goal was to run away and tell on them.  The kid basically has no idea he got his ass kicked.  And, you can’t hardly get mad at a kid who’s first attempt at destroying school property is to demonstrate his newly-found writing skills by telling the world “I love Mommy” and signing it in big swirly letters.

Bad to the bone? Nope, I’m guessing soft to the core…but time will tell.