Skibbie the Thug

I often tell tales of Action and the general mischief he creates. He's a boy. Boys do these kinds of things.

I don't tell these kinds of stories about Skibbie because she is kind-hearted, gentle, has a sense of fairness and genuinely cares for others. For instance, while in Cabo San Lucas, we had dinner at a restaurant on the dock. At night, local women and children sell various crafts to the tourists at the restaurants on the dock and people passing by. Skibbie was suddenly quiet and sad looking. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she felt sorry for them because she didn't think the children should have to work and she was afraid that someone would come and take the money they had made. I reassured her that the children were only helping their parents and that they would be safe.

This is my girl - always looking to make sure other children are okay and safe and happy.....

.....until somebody picks on her little brother.

Skibbie and Action were playing with a friend in a nearby neighborhood (I mention this because it is important to note that I do not know these other children or their parents). Apparently, an older boy, reported to be 13, was picking on Action. Now, Action can usually stand up for himself, but a boy of 13 is larger than a boy of 8. And when the 13-year-old slung (that's a word, right?) Action to the ground, Skibbie stepped in. From what I am told, she grabbed the boy by the collar and twisted it to the point of almost choking him, and educated him on the proper manners when dealing someone younger. It went something like this:

Skibbie: Don't pick on my brother! He's younger than you are and you have to be careful with kids who are younger than you are! Do you understand?

Boy: Yeah

Skibbie: That's yes ma'am!

Boy: What?

Skibbie: You heard me! Say Yes Ma'am!

Boy (scared, oxygen deprived and mumbling): Yes Ma'am.

This boy is also reported to be the neighborhood bully, so I'm not sure what Skibbie's reputation will be at school. Action's comment that night as he was getting ready for bed was, "Boy, I sure would be embarassed if a girl beat me up and made me say yes ma'am."

I asked Big Daddy which side of the family he thought it came from and he quickly said, "Oh yeah, that's from Aunt Cutillowitz. She used to beat kids up on the bus for me all the time. Only she was younger than me." Wow! The tradition continues. I'm raising a second generation thug!