Calling A Spade A Spade

I’ve mentioned before that in addition to the language processing issues he’s dealing with, Thing Two also has something called aplasia cutis congenita. He has the mildest and most common version, which manifests simply as an oval scar on the top of the head where hair doesn’t grow.  He refers to it as his “spot” and could care less that he has it...it’s just there and does not affect his life at all except in that we need to remember to put sunblock on it.

Girlfriend of mine calls me the other day. This is my dear friend B, who has daughters the same ages as my sons.  These girls appear to believe that they were put on earth to protect and defend my sons, mother-style.  Priceless.  She tells me that her younger daughter, who rides the same school bus as Thing Two and Petunia, has heard a new 8th grader bullying Thing Two on the bus.  (Bear in mind that both Thing Two and B’s daughter are sixth graders.)

My heart in my throat, I’m thinking that this kid has picked up on Thing Two’s language issues and is calling him a retard or some other horribly unkind name accordingly.  But no, apparently he’s decided that he’s going to yell across the bus something nasty about Thing Two having a bald spot.  (Thank God, at least he picked something Thing Two is not at all sensitive about.)

So B asked her daughter what happened next.  “Well, Mom, I yelled at him.  Nobody’s picking on my friend in front of me.  I told him he was being an asshole and to knock it off.”

B, while tremendously proud of her daughter for standing up to an older boy on Thing Two’s behalf, was not super happy with her choice of language, and asked if that really was what she said.

“Mom, he was being an asshole, so I called him an asshole.  It is what it is. And a couple other kids told me I was right to yell at him afterward.”

I love that kid!!  Where Thing Two is concerned, she is the Avenging Angel of Doom...God help the kid who messes with her boy (whom she loves like a brother) while she’s around.