I think I am going to like this new community my brother created.
School Days
I reckon it will resonate with many out there, and I think it goes hand in hand with the Reflections community, because everyone has some stories to share from school. Some will be funny, some sad, and some might be difficult to tell - but reminiscing and reflecting might bring back good memories, or move us along the path of recovery from past trauma.
Note
As always - READ the RULES before posting in any community.
I am not going to give all the background here, but if you read these posts often enough, you will perhaps glean some insight into my early days, and the difficulties I had. If you read my other articles too, you will then know why I am just a bitter, twisted, prick.
Anyway.
To kick this foray into my school days off, I will tell a story from when I was around my daughter's age of eight at primary school, and a story I told her just the other day. My daughter often asks about my childhood, and also sometimes when things happen in her school or she has various questions about her experiences, I use my own as a base to work from.
There was this one kid at school, let's call him "Ben" (absolutely his real name) who was a freckly, timid kid most of the time, that was quite clever in many ways´, but also a bit of a scammer. He was the type of kid who would later get arrested for some white-collar crime, like embezzlement.
He had started karate.
And he was feeling confident.
And because I was not the liked kid in the school and often got teased myself and never fought back, he decided that I was a good target for a karate fight. So, he kept on goading me, trying to set up this fight, and I kept saying no. I told him I didn't want to fight him, because I didn't want him to get hurt. He was a bit bigger than me, because I am no giant. So, with the bravado of an eight year old who thinks they are Chuck Norris, he kept on pushing.
For two days.
Eventually, while we were on the school oval, with him begging for me to fight him, I said fine. The look of momentary relief on his face, was soon replaced by a gleam of cruelty in his eyes, and his expression turned to stone. The moment he had been waiting for had arrived and he could taste his impeding victory, as a small group of people gathered around for the slaughter of the kid they didn't like.
This was my first real fight. I didn't know what to expect.
And to be honest, his "Blue Steel" gaze had me questioning whether me saying yes was a mistake. Well, I already knew it was a mistake before that, which is why I wasn't going to do it. But while I wasn't ready, Ben was. Before I knew what was happening, he snapped into a karate fighting stance with his fists up and said;
Go.
So I did.
And a split second later, poor Ben was on the ground gasping and choking, after I unleashed a front kick that hit him square in the throat and crushed his windpipe for a bit. The gleam of cruelty had disappeared from his eyes, replaced by a wide-eyed look of fear. I bent down to help him and see if there was anything I could do, because while he was scared, so was I.
He looked like he might die.
Now, unfortunately for me, the school principal happened to be on yard duty that day and walked around the corner just in time to see me kick Ben in the throat. That was all he saw. So, after checking on Ben who had now recovered enough to just be very red in the face from gasping (and probable embarrassment), I was marched off to the principal's office to get what might have been a spanking at the time, but got away with a warning instead - because I explained myself well enough.
But it was funny to think about, because I can still remember Ben's looks on his face before, during and after the fight, and even what he was wearing at the time. And I also remember that despite my karate fight win in record time, it didn't stop people teasing me for the next few years until I went to high school. It was the first fight I was in, but there were a couple more after that, but they were with real bullies - one who ended up in prison less than a decade later for murder.
This community will be fun.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I look forward to learning more about your childhood. This community will be interesting.
I have a short story of my own to tell, about a scrawny-of-small-stature high school friend of mine. CJ, we'll call him. This CJ could also be described as Quite Clever.
There had been an assembly, a Christmas concert. I was of the age that got quite the thrill from skipping classes now and then, despite my mother's being a teacher there, and assemblies were easy. Afterward, to cover my ass, I asked CJ what songs had been sung.
I still remember the look on my mother's face when she asked how the assembly was, and I told her all that I knew about it.
Busted.
I only share slices because a lot of it was crap :)
:D :D
Never trust a clever person without verifying their data :D
My dad taught for a bit at my high school, but it didn't stop me forging his signature when I needed it :)
Haha I got sick of having to sign all that crap for one of my daughters, so I gave her a signature stamp. She used it for a good two years before we got caught.
The Karate Kid! I just finished watching Cobra Kai and can easily imagine your kick!
It wasn't too many years after the original Karate Kid! :D
It is obvious that he was itching for trouble :) I think there have been such children at everybody's school life 😄
This kid was smart - there were plenty of idiots too - but he was just feeling brave. I sometimes wonder if he still remembers it.
I was only in a couple fights in school, but they were all pretty lame and I wouldn't really even call them fights. It sounds like you handled yourself well. Did having brothers play a hand in that or was it just luck?
Fights are silly. I was forced into a couple more at the same school, and then none until a night in my twenties.
Luck I think, but I was pretty athletic as a kid - and the other kid was not. We were only young, so not too much damage could be done, unless hitting a soft bit, like a throat.
Yes, they are. Bullies are sillier though and sometimes its the only way they will learn.
Hahhaha
Not me laughing through the fight story
Ben got what he deserved
So much for threats
I thought he had one enormous power
I didnt have strength to fight hence I carefully avoided any fight scenarios
Thanks for introducing the new community
Would definitely read the rules and try to engage as required
School tales are fun and how to share some too
I will be checking in on the community pretty often, so get in there and give it a good story!
Aye aye captain 🧑✈️ 🫡
The overconfidence of youth with none of the discipline martial arts should teach. Seems like a justifiable outcome.
I took karate classes when I was about 11, but I always had the lingering sense it wasn't preparing me for real self-defense. When I was in teens, I joined the Young Marines and learned a bit of Marine Corps Line Drill. I saw similarities in the stance, but a world of difference in the applicability.
I'm glad to say I have avoided armed and unarmed combat successfully so far.
What you tell us about the level of communication you maintain with your daughter is valuable, sharing your experiences and how you proceed.
Congratulations!
Ben learned the hard way not to push someone too far. Kids at that age always think they’re tougher than they are. Good thing he was okay after that kick though
I assumed you were big and strong even as a child!
But, It's surprising how many people have been harassing you!😯Dear @tarazkp !
Were they harassing you because you were an immigrant from India?
I assumed you went to Europe because you were bullied by white Australians since childhood!