Bullying boys

I can recall two instances in junior high in which I had to ‘bully’ boys into giving me money. That is an extreme description however, as they were only giving me what was owed. One day on the way home from school, Tim Kelly grabbed my earmuffs and ripped them to bits in front of everyone on the bus. He was all puffed up and pleased with his act of male aggression at the moment, but all it took was a stern threat the next day to tell on him unless he forked over $3 to get not only money for a new pair of earmuffs, but also an extra bit of cash in my pocket. (New muffs only cost about $1.50.) Around the same time, Tom Noonan decided it would be great fun to scribble over all the drawings on my nice pink leather pencil case. If I recall correctly, I got about a fiver from him and used an old pencil case I had at home for the rest of the year. When it comes down to it, most boys are wusses. When a female friend in her 20s broke my digital camera, I never saw a penny, but the boys always seemed to quiver in the boots when a threat was issued. Perhaps we remind them of their scary mothers, or they know they can’t use brute force as a show of aggression with us, but on the whole, they’re much less likely to mess with us.