The Lord of the Flies

This is how I feel about the play space at the mall.  Bertie always wants to go whenever we walk at the mall.  Most of the time I oblige him (unless it's super over run with kids).   It was fairly crowded today, but I'd already told him we could go (which lead to a constant chant of "slide, slide, slide").

He is oblivious to most of the things I look out for.  Actually, he's oblivious to most things.  There were several kids that were too big to be in there, mid to late elementary, leaping from object to object.  He's usually the smallest one, though not today, there were some smaller ones.

I try not to be a helicopter parent, but I hover.  I make sure the bigger kids don't steal his spot in line again and again.  I make sure he doesn't get kicked in the face by flailing limbs of other toddlers.  I make sure he doesn't cut in line.  I take him away from the bully kids (since he doesn't defend himself).  For some reason, most other parents don't do this.  They don't make sure their kids aren't just standing on the slide, or pushing other kids, or aren't too big to be there in the first place.  They stare at their phones.

Today, aside from the leaping big kids:  There was a girl, probably about 4 years old, and all of her top teeth were gold.  ALL OF THEM. (I am so judgey.  Seriously, how lax do you have to be with your child's dental hygiene that 50% of their teeth are crowns?!)  She was hard to understand, but I think she accused Bertie of cutting in line, and then said that if you cut in line, you get messed up (or cussed out, again she was hard to understand).  And then I judged her parents again (also they were no where to be seen, as she laid atop the slide, threatening to kick anyone who got too close).

There was something else that was really setting off my radar.  A mom was there with her son, who was probably 12 or 13.  I'm not sure if she had a little kid too.  But the boy was giving me a really weird vibe.  Like a groomer kind of vibe.  We was playing with random kids, patting Bertie on the head.  It was weird.  I'm sure I'm just thinking the worst of people, but my gut was telling me otherwise, so I went with it.  And I watched him closely when he was near Bertie.  And had he done anything more than pat his head I would have told him it's not ok to touch my kid.  I was really glad to get him out of there today.