Observational Study

A child about the age of two years was the subject of my observations. About three foot eight, he wore an oversized shirt, a baseball cap, jean shorts, and foam sandals on his feet. His face had a smile on it the entire time as he clumsily ran around.

This observation took place at a camp ground where two groups that could only be explained as two families sat under a gazebo. This little boy's family sat at a metal picnic table with a plethora of food on the table--hotdogs, chips, watermelon, soda pop, bread and butter, and marshmallows. At each person's setting was a plate of watermelon rinds, half-eaten hotdogs, a mess of crumpled napkins, and crushed cans of soda. No one except one lady was actually eating. Seven adults sat with smiles on their looking at this little boy. One couple looked to be in their late twenties--she being pregnant. Another couple looked to be in their thirties--she being pregnant. The oldest couple looked to be in their fifties--the woman being the most energetic one there. The last adult was a teenaged boy who sat on the far end of the picnic table while most of the commotion happened. I wasn't the only one watching this little boy since this group's gaze did not leave him.

As little boy tottled up and down the aisle of picnic tables, the oldest woman jumps off the picnic bench and makes a loud roar at him. He giggles and immediately changes his direction to run away from her. The pregnant woman in her thirties says, "Look out Cyrus, Grandma's going to get you." Again he comes running toward her with a goofy grin on his face. "Grandma" roars again at the little boy when he's almost within reaching distance for her. He giggles even harder and turns around to run the opposite direction. This pattern happens three or four times with the roaring getting even louder and the boy laughing even harder.

When the little boy came running back towards the direction of his grandma, the teenaged boy suddenly appeared from behind "Grandma" with a three foot branch in his hand. His feet were wide spread and his arms high up in the air. His smile was full of metal and he waved the branch as he tromped towards this little boy. He didn't move fast. His motion was slow enough that the little boy had time to stop in his tracks. His smile disappeared. And the laughter was replaced by a high-pitched scream as he ran towards the pregnant woman in her thirties.