The Big Boy Rules

[paul]

This post was kind of triggered loosely by comments about me being a bad influence to new shooters in this thread, , but even more so by Jon'76's excellent post on his ongoing project to try to bring fellow college students in Philly over from the dark side by actively inviting and educating non-gunners, something that I find commendable. I posted over in that thread and it led to a long response from me, but the more I wrote the more I felt like I should probably start a new thread, since my experiences might be of interest to the forum at large.


My educational efforts started when my wife was walking the dog and saw this scrawny kid shagging golf balls over our apartment building and a busy street into the parking lot of a hospital.

The first thing she said to me when she got back to our apartment was, "Before I say anything, that kid has a hell of a swing".

After she filled me in about what was going on I walked over and tried a little charm, didn't work because the kid was playing the tough guy for his buddies, so I switched tactics and rolled right into Sergeant Mode, which means that I started hollering. For the record, I may suck at golf but I've got a hell of a holler. It ended up with the kid making a comment that might be construed as a threat and me taking his golf club away and him absconding at rather high speed, unharmed but more than a little embarrassed. At that point me and my wife put off our plans for the night and tracked down where the kid lived.

Turns out there was a perfect storm of influences making this kid a good candidate for future delinquency. His dad had passed away a couple of years before and he had problems in school, mostly stemming from a wicked temper. So he had to switch school districts and here he was, not quite fourteen living at his out of touch grandparents house, no father figure, mom not around either, bored from nothing to do on summer break and the new kid on the block to boot.

So we decided to make the kid into a project.

I lost my dad and mom right before and right after I joined the army, and I'm glad I had the structure at the time or I'm sure my temper would have led me astray as well. Starting from that common bond, and the fact that the kid might have a little crush on my wife(who is a looker even at 8+ months pregnant), I offered his grandparents to teach him some discipline this summer and in return he'd learn a new skill with some cachet.

We took him shooting and it was a great experience all around, he was a lot more respectful taken out of his comfort zone and turned out to be a natural shot.

But that day I not only taught him the four rules of shooting, I taught him what I used to teach new guys in my unit to keep them out of trouble, a set of rules that my team had hashed out and refined in rare moments of peace and boredom in a combat zone and used ever since. I taught him ... The Big Boy Rules.

Rule 1
Always look cool.

I put some effort into explaining to him that what other kids thought of as cool didn't necessarily measure up, that always looking cool was more about being a quiet professional, not bragging, not begging for attention, not losing your temper, that kind of thing.

Rule 2
Don't talk too much.

This one came straight from The Duke, he once said that the secret behind his persona was simple: "Talk low, talk slow, and don't say too much."

Rule 3
Keep Up

Keep up mentally, physically, and keep up your end of the bargain. Never be the guy other people have to wait on, never be the guy who makes other people work harder. Never let lack of attention to detail make you break rule number 3 and by extension, rule number 1. Never be Late, Last, or Left Behind.

Rule 4
Don't Get Caught

This one isn't about getting away with stuff, it's about not getting into stupid situations in the first place. It also has to do (when cross referenced to number 2) with never saying something unless you know know it to be true or feel it to be right.

And that's it. I add the Big Boy Rules to all the standard firearms safety training and he's like a completely different kid. You hear him bragging and you just look at him and say, "Rule number 2 Mike", and it makes him think without cutting him down, he doesn't have to worry about saving face and he gets to feel like he's got some inside knowledge, that he's part of something. And I've never run into a situation that fell outside of the purview of the Big Boy Rules, they apply just as much to men in combat as they do to 14 year old punks running around central PA. When I walked out of my apartment that day I never thought I'd be adopting a juvenile delinquent in the making, but in the end I'm glad, and I hope this all gives Mike a chance he wouldn't have had otherwise to learn from other peoples mistakes, to not take a step down the wrong road. I think the kid has real potential, and I'm glad I could be the one to help him realize it.

As a parting shot, I've got to laugh, the other day I was walking my dog and Mike saw me trip over something invisible in the sidewalk. I tried to keep walking like nothing had happened but he just looked at me and said "Rule number 1?" as innocently as he could.

I may regret teaching him after all.

[gold cup abuser]

I'd rep ya but I gotta spread it around some more

good job in taking the time to get that young man squared away

[Shawn.L]

I'd rep ya but I gotta spread it around some more

good job in taking the time to get that young man squared away

ditto on both counts.

[WVBob]

+1

Well written and well done.

[rich]

I think I just gave ya some rep I'm not sure but you deserve it for doing something positive about a possible problem instead of just complaining about it. Well done

[VMJade]

Repped, and I may very well pass the rules along, if you don't mind.

[Keith4001r]

Way to go, good set if rules. I gotta work on #1! Rep sent, rules copied.


Keith
PAFOA PROUD!

[PropCop]

Well done, my friend, well done.

[larrymeyer]

I'd rep ya but I gotta spread it around some more

[SGTUSArmy]

Well, I would rep ya, but gotta spread the love first.

The big boy rules, I like that. Gotta add two more rules.

I call em the 11th and 12th Commandments: Don't sweat the small stuff
Everything is small stuff.