Today, at last,  was take-Benny-to-see-Kung Fu Panda day. We went to MacArthur Center and thoroughly enjoyed the film. TV commercials didn’t do this movie justice. It’s the kind of thing that keeps kids’ eyes glued to the screen but also entertains grownups. Loved it. Another point…with the Beijing Olympics coming up, it’s a nice way to introduce traditional Chinese architecture and landforms to younger kids.

While this was a treat for Benny, Sadie and Lydia attended, too. Afterward, we let the kids run off steam in the upstairs play area.

As a very experienced visitor to this spot, I’ve seen it all, from brats to shy little sweethearts. However, I’ve never before seen a child like the one I encountered today. He was special.

Since Benny’s now over the height requirement for play at this place, he just went around helping young mothers to entertain babies, something at which Benny is highly skilled. He allowed little kids to knock him down, crawl over him, run over him, ride on him. He was, generally speaking, being his dear little self and having fun in the process. 

At first everyone near me laughed when a wild kid jumped on Benny’s back, knocked him to the ground and grabbed his hair. Benny laughed, too. Then the child began to try banging Benny’s face on the floor. Benny resisted. The kid kicked and beat on Benny with all his might.

I said to this child…who couldn’t have been more than four…“Stop hitting. You quit that right now.”

The little pipsqueak stuck out his lower chin, glared at me, showed me his fist and yelled, “Shut your mouth, or I’ll smash you in the face.”

Then he turned and rushed at tiny, delicate Sadie, grabbed her hair in both hands and pulled, yanking her head around. Lydia ran to the rescue.

She managed to get bad boy off Sadie, asked him, “Where are your parents?” Instead of answering, he kicked and hit her, landing one good punch on her face.

Lydia hoisted him up onto one hip and began to make the rounds of available grownups, asking each if he/she was the child’s parent. No one claimed the little fiend.

Lydia was afraid to set him down because of his shouted threats, what he was going to do to other kids if he got a chance.

Here came a man casually strolling over from the food court, picking his teeth. Clearly, he’d dropped off his son and then went to eat, leaving the little monster to wreck havoc. He claimed his son and left.

If that dad happens to read this blog…probably not, although I’m surprised at how many people do…I want to tell him that however insensitive to criticism he may be, he’d have had a very red face if he could have heard the other parents’ evaluation of him both as a parent and a person. People had plenty to say, none of it flattering.