The Pugilist in training.
Today I go to pick up my beautiful girl and her teachers tell me a tale that is so . . . utterly believable.
Apparently Alexa has determined which of the other babies in her room are mobile and which are not. The immobile ones she preys on like a cat. She watches them, and as soon as they have a toy that looks even mildly interesting . . . she crawls over, snatches it up, and crawls away fast! The one particular boy that she likes to torment, has just accepted defeat at the hands of Alexa and as soon as she swoops in- he just lets her have it. Her teachers said, "It's actually pretty funny and we laugh every time."
For some reason this brings about a memory.
Did you know my parents knicknamed me The Pugilist when I was in elementary school? I am pretty sure it was not out of pride for their hot headed daughter. See, there was this boy who lived down the street from me, he had a much worse knickname- by the entire neighborhood- "John, John Rat." Well, ole' John John Rat knew exactly how to press my buttons and piss me off! (way back in the day- I used to have a really short, BAD temper. Age and wisdowm has chilled me out, right Doug? Right?!) So- as we would walk home from school, John John Rat would walk or ride his bike behind me, taunting me until I couldn't stand it anymore and then I would leap off my bike in a blind rage and beat him over the head with my metal Rainbow Bright lunchbox!!!!!!!!! Then I would go home and cry to my mother about how John John Rat was picking on me and how I was the victim of his merciless teasing. And somehow my mother would discover, through the course of her questioning, that I had absolutely no issues defending myself and she would tell me I was fine and then she and my father came up with the knickname "The Pugilist." Now as an adult, I wonder if my mother was ever embarrased when she came in contact with John John Rat's mother?
I have to give Alexa points for being a little more furtive than her mother- as she seems to be training up nicely to follow my footsteps. However, I think in this particular instance we'll follow the old saying, "Do as I say, not as I did."
Apparently Alexa has determined which of the other babies in her room are mobile and which are not. The immobile ones she preys on like a cat. She watches them, and as soon as they have a toy that looks even mildly interesting . . . she crawls over, snatches it up, and crawls away fast! The one particular boy that she likes to torment, has just accepted defeat at the hands of Alexa and as soon as she swoops in- he just lets her have it. Her teachers said, "It's actually pretty funny and we laugh every time."
For some reason this brings about a memory.
Did you know my parents knicknamed me The Pugilist when I was in elementary school? I am pretty sure it was not out of pride for their hot headed daughter. See, there was this boy who lived down the street from me, he had a much worse knickname- by the entire neighborhood- "John, John Rat." Well, ole' John John Rat knew exactly how to press my buttons and piss me off! (way back in the day- I used to have a really short, BAD temper. Age and wisdowm has chilled me out, right Doug? Right?!) So- as we would walk home from school, John John Rat would walk or ride his bike behind me, taunting me until I couldn't stand it anymore and then I would leap off my bike in a blind rage and beat him over the head with my metal Rainbow Bright lunchbox!!!!!!!!! Then I would go home and cry to my mother about how John John Rat was picking on me and how I was the victim of his merciless teasing. And somehow my mother would discover, through the course of her questioning, that I had absolutely no issues defending myself and she would tell me I was fine and then she and my father came up with the knickname "The Pugilist." Now as an adult, I wonder if my mother was ever embarrased when she came in contact with John John Rat's mother?
I have to give Alexa points for being a little more furtive than her mother- as she seems to be training up nicely to follow my footsteps. However, I think in this particular instance we'll follow the old saying, "Do as I say, not as I did."
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