What's a Mom to Do?

I can't stand a bully. It doesn't even have to be a big, fat, crew-cut bully. Anyone picking on anyone else just drives me crazy.

It takes a lot to make me angry. I definitely don't have the patience of Job, but I am usually pretty good at rolling with the punches.

Unless someone is picking on one of my peeps. When this happens, know that I turn into this psycho woman. A sort of Jekyll/Hyde thing if you will.

Yes, most of you know of the, uhhh, 'hair' incident in Virginia Beach. In that lovely instance, I became the psychotic wife because someone insulted my husband. I have also been known to confront woman in grocery stores because they are being mean to their children. Lovely. One time, after we passed a group of kids picking on this lone chubby boy, I u-turned and went back and chewed them all out, declaring for all to hear that 'if their moms could see them, they surely wouldn't act that way and did they want me to go get their moms right this instant, I don't THINK so...' Yeah, I know, nothing to be proud of. I have even been known (hanging my head in shame) to go off on someone during (can I say this without mumbling...it's so embarrasing), okay, I went off on someone during an outreach. Not someone in our group, mind you, but someone we were, uh, reaching out to. But, but, but, they said something mean to one of my boys!!!!! Of course, I was inconsolable afterwards and swore off outreaches just in case anyone, ever insulted my family again.
So this morning Jonah had a basketball game, in which he scored his first two points!!! It was sweet because he was the one that got the rebound from a missed shot, which is amazing considering he is at least one foot shorter than everyone else. So he got a rebound, took a shot, and scored! It was great. He's a great kid. Everyone who knows him knows that he's a great kid. He just has a great attitude. Unfortunately, one of the kids on the other team mistook this game for a football game. It was amazing. He would absolutely, positively pound into everyone. I sat through him giving people the bird, sat through him talking trash, sat through him slamming into everyone. It made more sense to me when I found out that his dad was the referee. Hmmm...Finally, I could take it no more. The strangest thing happened. I felt my blood boil. I felt my jaw tighten (seriously, I bit a hole in my cheek and now it's turning into a nice sore as a reminder) and I felt my body stiffen. Then, it happened. I opened my mouth. I told it not to open, I begged it not to open, I willed it not to open. It just didn't listen. I started yelling. Yelling. Just yelling out like the idiot that I sometimes am. Yelling at this mean kid with a steely look in his eyes. I wanted to march out there and drag him off the court by his earlobe and give him the business. Why didn't his coach stop him? Why didn't his parents stop him? Why didn't the other ref stop him? Why? What is the point of letting a kid with a horrible attitude who is foul-mouthed and body slamming into everyone get to continue to play? He made it miserable for everyone. I don't get it.
Although I lost it for a bit, I am totally glad that Jon kept me from marching out there and making a total fool of myself. I think I would have in a minute or two. After the game, Jonah said, "Mom, I heard you yelling about that kid, "Hey, #33 thinks he's a linebacker or something?!" I told Jonah I was sorry and he said that I was okay and that he knows I get a little psycho sometimes.