Kids at the Swimming Pool

We belong to a private swim and tennis club. We pay $400 a summer for this privilege and my children adore going to the pool. Even Babygirl says "pool" and wears her tiny little swimming suit and jumps into the one-foot pool over and over again (while I catch her, of course).

On Friday night, I was standing in the pool, catching Babygirl over and over again. My mother sat near the edge of the pool, taking pictures. My twins were over in the big pool, out of my sight. My 6 year old was playing with two other little boys, skinny, scrawny, tan little kids. I had noticed them eating Nerds and joking around.

I guess I heard a noise. I looked up and saw the three boys sitting on a tall table under the covered area. YoungestBoy's face was contorted and he was yelling "Stop! Stop!" The other two boys were laughing while YoungestBoy cried.

Without even a hesitation, I took a giant step out of the pool, wrapped Babygirl in a towel and strode over to YoungestBoy. The boy with glasses scurried away, but the very tan, skinny boy couldn't duck under the table before I caught his arm. I said, "You! Stay there!"

YoungestBoy was incoherent. I heard something about a game that went awry. I gave Tan-Boy the evil eye and said, "If this happens again, I will tell your parents. Do you understand me?" Meanwhile, another mom had collared the Glasses-Boy. Then I said, "Son, tell me what happened." To Tan-Boy, I said, "Don't move!"

YoungestBoy told me that Tan-Boy and Glasses-Boy had been pinching him "here" (he pointed to his chubby little boy boobs) and slapping him, even though he was telling them to stop.

What?! I said to Tan-Boy and Glasses-Boy, "WHAT? That is not all right. We are going to talk to your parents. Take me to your mom or dad right now."

Reluctantly, Tan-Boy took me to his dad. I said, "Our sons were playing together and your son was slapping and pinching my son, even though he told him to stop. I already yelled at him and I thought you'd like to talk with him, too." Dad seemed unconcerned, unsurprised.

By now, tears were running down the face of Glasses-Boy. His mother was at the far corner of the area. When we reached her, I gave her the same little speech. She seemed shocked.

Then I returned to YoungestBoy who was back near the covered area, trying to figure out how to retrieve a wayward beach ball. I noticed a five-fingered slap mark on his back. I asked him again what happened, but he didn't want to talk about it. I told him the boys were in trouble.

Just then, my husband walks up. He'd just arrived. I said, "Oh, you just missed an incident." He wanted to know all about it, but I didn't want to tell him in front of YoungestBoy, so I tried to abbreviate the story. He was confused, but furious and said, "Son, if that ever happens again, you should smack that kid as hard as you can!"

Gotta love testosterone.

My husband was concerned about the whole thing and after talking to a friend of ours, asked me to repeat exactly what happened several times. It seemed like he thought I had overreacted, but once he understood exactly what happened, he agreed with my response. The boys had previously been playing a game of "Duck, Duck, Slap" and he feared that YoungestBoy could give, but not take . . . (I know. Duck, Duck, Slap? Only boys would make up such a game.)

But this went far beyond a game. He was crying and they ganged up on him, the little skinny boys.

Both moms made their kids apologize. Before we left, the boys started playing together again. Both moms came to me to make sure everything was all right. I made sure to point out the hand-shaped slap mark which was still red on YoungestBoy's back, just in case anyone thought I was an overprotective, insane mother.

Tan-Boy and Glasses-Boy won't be messing around with me or my YoungestBoy again. Of that I am one hundred percent sure.

Don't mess with me or my kids. That's the number one rule this week.