Inevitable and Encouraging

So I was lazy this morning and did not get up and go to Curves.

I got up later and did devotions with Cryptic as he has requested. We had a nice time, this mornings was very convicting. We had just finished praying and I had hugged he and Jock good bye and told them to have a great day. They were doing last minute leaving for school preparations in the kitchen when I told them I loved them and to be sure and walk to school together.

Just as I got back in bed with Stud and was snuggling up to him, we heard massive noise, yelling and thumping against cabinets. Lately Jock has this thing he loves to do. He asks, "You want me to BEAT YOU!?!?!" A friend of his says it in a funny way and they all get a kick out of it. He now says it many times a day and we heard him say that in the process of all the commotion. This confused me, since it is a playful thing and the rest of the noise sounded serious.

I jumped out of bed to check into it and as I came out of the room, I saw Jock shaking and crying and backing away from Cryptic with a very scared look on his face. Cryptic was still in the kitchen and was staying far away, with poor little Brom in between them barking his fool head off, running back and forth between them looking very confused and worried. They were still screaming at each other and poor Princess was now awake. Her room is right off the kitchen and Stud and I's is around the other corner. Not the best planning, but I guess it worked for the woman who built the house.

Anyway, what happened seems to be what we have been waiting for. We knew one day, Cryptic would stand up to Jock and let him know who was stronger and that he was not messing around anymore. They fight physically sometimes and Cryptic always backs off and gets control first and tries to sort it out without fists. Jock has it in his head that he is stronger and can prevail over Cryptic if need be. By the look on his face this morning, I know Cryptic made it clear that he better watch himself from now on. He had a few red marks on his neck (from Cryptic's hands) and a scratch that was bleeding quite a bit. Cryptic was slightly teary, not frantic as Jock was and kept repeating something about Jock watching out for himself, he is done fooling around and he better look out.

So that was an interesting start to the day. I told Stud what happened and he said good for Cryptic. It is about time. Various doctors have always told us this day would come and some have even suggested encouraging it, to put Jock in his place and have Cryptic feel a bit better about himself. Just because Cryptic is scrawny, Jock assumed (until today!) that he is stronger. He plays hockey, is constantly outside skateboarding, riding his bike, swimming at school, and has more defined looking muscles, etc. Well, he saw the light today, man! I don't feel the slightest bit bad for him. I hope that doesn't make me a bad mother, but I am sick of his attitude and glad that his big brother is finally doing something other than just yelling at him.

What set it off was as I walked away, Cryptic was playing a song on glasses of water that he was to take to school for his Science Project this morning. He was perfecting it before he left. I reminded him to wrap them good so they would not break when he transported them to and from school. Jock asked why they would possibly break. He constantly asks ridiculous questions like that. Often, if we ignore him, he takes a few seconds to think and comes up with the correct answer on his own. So I ignored him and went to bed. I found out later that Cryptic sighed and shook his head. Which caused Jock to tell him he is ugly. Which set him off and the beating began.

As to the encouraging thing from the title of this post. I will close with a quote from Princess overheard today. Cryptic needs this computer for some homework.

Today Clown, Princess and I were walking from the grocery store to the car. Princess was being Princess. That means skipping along like little girls do and singing. She wasn't paying close attention to the traffic, as usual. I was about to say something, when Clown did it for me. Although, he uses quite a different approach than what I usually do.

"Princess! What has Mum ALWAYS TOLD US!?!? Watch where you are going! Stop flitting about! Man! Do you want to get your butt splattered all over this parking lot!?!?"

She slowed down and looked sad and said quietly, "Clown...that is NOT very encouraging."