Everyone knows that the Booger Bear has a bit of an ornery streak. I've witnessed it at home when he antagonizes Angel. Angel tries to love on him, and he decides it would be fun to pinch her and say, "Ow!" When he's feeling especially bully-ish, he instigates it himself.He's a tricky one, this almost 14-month-old... He draws you closer by blowing kisses your way. He smiles and flirts. He might even give you a hug. Then, when you least expect it, his true intentions surface. "Ow!" he shouts. The poor, unsuspecting soul usually panics and thinks that they somehow hurt him. Angel and I know better. We know to run. Because when the Booger shouts, "Ow!," hands start making bodily contact in the form of a pinch, a hair tug, or a slap. ...and not OUR hands... The Booger's.
He knows that he can't really get away with it with me. He didn't appreciate his first "Time Out" session, and now immediately "apologizes" by hugging me or kissing wherever he pinched. But with Angel on the other hand, I truly get the full effect of being a mother of two. He "greets" her every morning with an "Ow!," a slap, and a chuckle. Angel, not realizing that she does it, cracks up and says, "Ow! Stop that!" He keeps it up until Angel starts whining like a 6-year-old and the Booger is just howling and laughing away. I fully expect to hear myself shouting, "Don't make me come back there!" or "Do I have to pull this car over? Cause I will!"
So yeah, I knew the Booger Bear was a bit of a bully at home... I didn't really believe our sweet little boy could actually be that bad at his daycare though. That was until the first time I decided to surprise him by picking him up early...
The Booger has a best friend. Hunter is the "Big Boy" in the class. The Booger Bear, as I mentioned before, is the baby. Our boy's not stupid. He knows to get in good with the big guy. Better to be "besties" with the bully than to get bullied on yourself. They get to daycare at the same time ever day. They eat breakfast together. The teachers tell me they are ALWAYS together. So I wasn't really surprised when I walked in that day to see the Terrible Twosome together, standing outside the crib of their sleeping friend. I was, however, a little disturbed by what they were doing to that poor boy.
They hadn't seen me come in, so I got to watch as they came up with their brilliant plan. Poor James... Sleeping, unsuspecting little James... The Booger Bear and Hunter must have decided they wanted their friend to wake up (The daycare calls the three of them the Three Musketeers.) The boys stood and watched James for a few seconds when the idea must have come to them simultaneously. They turned to look at each other, got these mischievous grins on their faces, and proceeded to turn back to the crib and start POKING their sleeping friend! James must be one sound sleeper because he didn't budge, but Hunter the Booger kept looking at each other and cracking up as they continued to turn back and poke poor James.
I couldn't help but laugh. I suppose that wasn't the most "parental" response to physical abuse, but the looks on their faces were hilarious. They were so stinkin' ornery! Then the Booger saw me, and the ornery grin turned into his angelic little smile. Both boys blew me kisses as if they hadn't just been tormenting their friend three seconds before.
Yep... We have a little bully on our hands. Fortunately, he's cute too. If I'm going to continue receiving calls from the principal's office, at least the cuteness acts as a buffer. His daddy will be in for it when he's older though. And I will laugh and laugh... :-)