Boules Rage

Ahhh...French parks in September are lovely. Babies lay on their blanket, toddlers toddle over checking out our toys. Little girls are pushing their pint-sized strollers and games of soccer and chase spontaneously break out. Old men gather to play boules for the afternoon.

Pétanque, or boules, is a game where the goal is to throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (piglet). The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel, but can also be played on grass or other surfaces. Pétanque is generally associated with southern France, particularly Provence, whence it originates. Thank you, wikipedia!

It's all rather charming and sweet, but today, um...

We were using one of the boules rectangles to play our own version with Justin's plastic set when we noticed the men playing next to us yelling at some nearby children. Some little boys, four and five year olds, were throwing stones at the men. At least a couple boys weren't deterred by the yelling and kept at it. So, one older man runs after the kid, catches him, and starts hitting him. The kid's mom notices (finally) what's going on and runs up and grabs her kid and starts yelling at the guy. Then she and the guy get into a slapping fight for a few seconds. Unreal.

So much for an idyllic afternoon at the park, huh?

Various parents yelled at the boules men, and they yelled back until it all settled down. Children got busy playing, parents went back to chatting, and the boules games continued.

I did notice the parents on the phone and, sure enough, about an hour later, the police showed up, talked to the little boy and his mom, and took the hitter guy away.

I have no idea what happens in France when you hit a child. I told Justin he would probably get a fine. I am glad for the boy that he saw his parents actively protecting him. And I don't imagine he'll be throwing rocks anymore.