Playground Politics

The Playground and how kids interact with each other on it, is a lot like real life. It is real life. Big kids take from little kids etc. And then there are parents, who are more like pagan gods than government. Parents come in and try to enlighten children that there are other toys to play with or that everyone can be happy if you share. That's like education. Showing kids a better way to do things. It's not like government because the parents don't really set up rules for the whole playground or anything like that. They can discipline their own child and protect their child, but that's it.
Sometimes kids go to other adults and ask for help. That's like praying I guess. I found it odd that this child, who I saw push his little car up the ramp already, kept asking me to help him do it. I tried to get him to do it himself, just like I would have done with my own son.

Later another child tried to get me to help him to take away a tricycle form a bigger girl. "I had it first!" he said. But of course I had seen that he hadn't. If he and another kid had got together and written an official document to say that yes indeed he had had it first. That would be sort of like law. After all, who is to say who had what first. In the beginning wasn't all land already here? We all shared it until someone realized with help of others they could make pieces of paper that legitimized why they would hoard something for themselves.

Later a couple of four year olds came in. They ran over to the little car and roller coaster thing. There are two cars, to little roller coasters. Jonah was sitting on top of one car on top of the roller coaster. The long haired blond four year old came over to Jonah and put one leg up like Captain Morgan on the roller coaster and said, "You!" and then proceeded to go through the motions of telling Jonah to get off as if he were a conquerer and this roller coaster was now his. Except he literally went through the motions because being four, he knew the posture and finger pointing gestures, but he didn't know all the words to use so he used some words and then mumbled when he didn't know what words to use.  Then he saw me from the corner of his eye and  noticed this two year old might be with someone, or at least that an adult was watching. "I'll just use the other one." he said rather loudly so I could here.Then he ran over and took the other car instead and his friend came over to Jonah.
"Get him off." said the blond child.
The brown haired child raised his arm and prepared to push my two year old off the car, on top of the roller coaster, onto the concrete.
"Uhh... waht are you doing?" I said. I had been standing a distance away. The brown haired child noticed me and then got some other toy. Then Jonah went down the roller coaster.
Now, usually when a child has a fit and wants a roller coaster car, I set up a taking turn system, even if it means my child cries because of it. But after Jonah went down, I didn't tell him he needed to give the brown haired or blond haired boy a turn, because they were older and this roller coaster thing is really for younger kids. Plus they could just take turns with the other car. They were friends. Let them work it out.
The brown haired boy went over to Jonah to take his car away.
"Get him off." said the blond haired boy and then more quietly, "Kill him. Kill Him."
Now I don't know what sort of cartoons this child is watching or what. I looked for these kids parent or adult associated with them and saw no one. Now I've wanted to hurt people and do violence to them. But usually it's something they did or said to me. Something of that nature. I never thought, "That person has something I want. Kill them and take it."
I wonder what percentage of the population does think like this. This kid had a quick temper too. Later some grandmother was setting up a turn taking system with her grandaughter and the blond haired child and when Thor wasn't quick enough he said, "Awe man" and clapped his hands together, only it was so sudden with such intense anger that it was surprising. But then he shaped up immediately to get back in line because Grandmother goddess was right there. This child was quite good looking. I could imagine girls falling for him and chasing him around later in life. And then wondering why does he treat me like this or that? Why does he do xyz. And if I were there I would reply, "Because when he was four he wanted to kill two year olds so that he could take possession of his plastic roller coaster car temporarily."

Anyway, it was around lunch time anyway so I tried to get Jonah to just leave with me without a big to do. On the way out I saw a woman at the other end of the playground. She could have been the blonde haired child's mother. Though she was brunette her face was similarly pretty. Though she was very young. Younger than me. Should I tell her about her son? I didn't want to make a fuss since nothing actually happened. Me and Jonah headed home. When I got home though I thought? What if this kid does do something later on. Shouldn't his mother know he has these tendencies if she doesn't already?
Then again maybe all kids have these tendencies and why sound like a crazy parent. Maybe this is just human nature. But then I usually don't see stuff on the playground that disgusts me like that. Maybe only two or three times in my kids life.