The cops just left my house, but let me start from the beginning.

[Maddy McCall]

About an hour ago, I received a phonecall (2 AM here!) and my answering machine picked up. A woman was on the other end saying things like you just watch this. I'm going to tell..Damn, it's the answering machine. Hang-up.

Less than five minutes later, the phone rang again, and my machine picked up. The woman, obviously shit faced drunk says:

"Hey J., it's Mary. The WAR is OOOOONNNN. If you don't call me back in one hour, I'm coming up there and I'm going to kick your fuckin' ass. I don't care what you do or who you're with, but you ain't gonna act like this, buddy. My number is XXX-XXXX. You've got one hour to call. If you fucking don't, I'll fuck you up. It's WWWAAAAARRRR, baby. FUCKING WAR. You're going to have WAR on your fucking ass. AFter one hour, I'm on my way."

So, I take her name and number off of caller ID and she lives a good 15 minutes from here. I call my dad, who lives in town a couple of miles from me, and he says he's coming, but to call the Sheriff's dept, too So I call 911, and the cop was here in 15 minutes. He listened to the tape, and then he asked me to press charges. I told him that I don't even know this woman. I thought it was a wrong number. He said, "She knows your name, and I had to deal with her last week about her dumping garbage on another man's property. She's bad news."

I told him he needs to talk to her to see why she called me. So he just left here, headed to her place, to find out what her problem is. He told us to stay INSIDE the house.

Then he's going to come back here and fill me in on what's going on.

DUers, hang with me. I'm scared. :scared: It's just me and my kid here, and I don't like tanglin with bad news people.

I'll keep you updated.

[Heidi]

1. I'll light a candle for you.

Now that the cops are involved and the caller knows the cops are involved, you'll be OK. Update us soon . . .

[Maddy McCall]

5. I don't even know the woman, but she knew me.

And I live the most boring life in the world. I work, I eat, I sleep. I don't go out to bars...I stop by the corner store to get gas and cokes.

I gave up the wild life 15 years ago. :shrug:

Thanks for the good wishes.

[Heidi]

11. Do you live in a small town?

If so, you know how that goes: people who think they know you even if you've never heard of _them_.

[Maddy McCall]

22. Not in the town, but just a couple of miles out of town...

I'm hidden in the woods. You can't see my home from the highway.

Yeah, small towners know each other. Good sometimes, bad others.

[EFerrari]

25. Maddy, listen to this

I know you'll be fine. But just because the cops are involved won't do it.

Some people just get MORE nuts when the cops get involved. So, you plan to be safe. Sounds like this woman is off her chump. You take care of yourself. No restraining order can do that for you.

Been there with a real stalker, fwiw.

B.

[Maddy McCall]

38. Thanks, sweetie.

I will be extra vigilant the next few weeks. Yeah, she sounded crazed on the phone. Wish there was some way for me to record it on the PC and let you guys hear it.

It scared the shit out of me.

[EFerrari]

49. I bet it did. But that's just your system telling you to be careful.

You'll be fine. Keep us posted.

B.

[Sannum]

2. oh my god!

How frightening! Please stay safe and keep us updated, okay?

[Maddy McCall]

6. My parents left shortly after the cop did.

My driveway is a mile long. I live in very secluded woods. My dad may be up the road watching the driveway.

I've got my shotgun loaded but open and on safety. (Have to have one if you live in the country like we do.) No body's going to bring their shit to my front yard. Nope. Ain't gonna happen.

[uppityperson]

15. Sounds like you got a good dad.

She gave you an hour, let the sheriff deal with her. Stay cool

[Maddy McCall]

24. A great dad.

I'm stayin cool....I am just lonely, and it's times like this when I wish I weren't alone. That I had a companion to be here to go through things like this with me, to protect my son.

[uppityperson]

37. my son got spooked staying alone last summer.

It wasn't funny at the time, just later. And that was only because the cats stared (as they do) at invisible things in the corners and the 95# dog barked (as he does) at airplanes and non-existent noises. It's no fun being scared, and way less fun with a child.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. That's too weird

Is your father on the way I hope? Or can you go stay with him?

[Maddy McCall]

9. No, Dad left shortly after the cops. I think he's parked off of the drive

way up the road keeping an eye on it.

I'm staying here until the deputy comes back. :scary:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. You gotta get outta that fucking Deliverance area

there's gotta be woods without freaks somewhere

[Maddy McCall]

26. LOL! Actually, most of the time, everythings cool.

This takes the cake, though. :D

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

29. I know...it's just the school thing

the nutty lady

and all...I just never ever want anyone to tell you you got a purdy mouth

[Maddy McCall]

41. Jeez...that NEVER crossed my mind.

Maybe she's drinking somewhere with a group of people and somone's decided to break bad and tell me off, or to come kick my ass.

They don't know me very well, do they? :evilgrin:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

46. They're askin for a buttload o'buckshot

[Maddy McCall]

55. I have some slugs, too.

And I fire accurately. :D

[Richard Steele]

36. Glad to hear you are armed and have yer dad on the case.

Shit happens, but being ALONE and HELPLESS makes it worse.

You are NOT alone, and you are NOT helpless. Everything will be OK; it's just scary for awhile.

Lighting a candle for you, MaddieM....COURAGE!

[Maddy McCall]

42. Awwww. Thanks! You guys are the BEST!!

Yeah, I'm the most liberal person in this part of my state that I know. And I'm a gun owner. There's got to be a tee-shirt in that one.

:D

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Maddy McCall]

10. Well, I have a peace loving family, but let me just say...

she won't walk in my door.

[Ironpost]

23. You have the right to protect yourself and your family

Times like this makes me want to rethink my commitment to not own guns.

[Maddy McCall]

30. I'm a single mom with an eleven-year-old kid.

I live a mile off of the nearest road. No one even knows that there's a cabin back here. I could scream bloody murder and no one would hear.

The choice to own a gun was pretty much decided for me.

[Ironpost]

52. Indeed it was

I'm not an anti-gun nut or anything I just don't own any but have been thinking that maybe we need one for protection. It seem the world is getting crazier all the time.
How about an update.

[Name removed]

99. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NorthernSpy]

101. actually, the person making the VIOLENT THREATS is the problem...

Whereas the person who wants only to defend herself and her family is pretty obviously NOT the problem. I mean, sheesh... :eyes:

You continue to amaze me, VPI Grad.

[Name removed]

102. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[uppityperson]

103. Hey Maddy, good morning. How are you doing?

Hope you got sleep last early morning and the situation was resolved.

[Maddy McCall]

104. Hey, UP!

Yes, I got some sleep. I hope you saw the update thread. Everything worked out, in a very odd way. :D

[Richard Steele]

31. Please.

INSANE people put us through HELL; please don't try to turn this into some anti-gun diatribe.

I have never physically harmed another human; I love all living things...I feed the local cats and possums and SLUGS; I have a raccoon who takes food from my hand...

But I also have a loaded firearm here, because there are CRAZY people in this world, and I am AWARE of that FACT.

I don't have children, so I don't pretend to understand that bond.

But I do have an SO who is the kindest, most caring person I have ever met, anywhere, EVER.

And I would certainly SHOOT anyone who broke into our home and threatened her.

In a proverbial 'heartbeat'.

[Rhiannon12866]

94. I don't think this post is anti-gun. If you're threatened, it helps to

Have one. Yikes! And I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I am scared for Maddy and her son and her Dad. I've known her on DU for a long time and she's very kind. I am a former sharpshooter and gun owner but my training taught me to never shoot anything living. I no longer own a gun and am in favor of gun control. Too many accidents by untrained people, who panic. I don't have kids, either, but do have dogs, who would probably try to protect me, if I was threatened, and if they were threatened, or I was, I honestly cannot say what I'd do. I don't think anybody can. I just hope that this drunken nut fell asleep and forgot all about her.
:scared:

[Richard Steele]

98. I wasn't referring to the entire THREAD...

...I just thought that particular poster's "Guns threaten us all" response was incorrect, inappropriate, and needed to be rebutted.

If I misunderstood the intent of that post, I will happily apologize for my error.

[Rhiannon12866]

107. I understand. No need for any apologies. Your post was very kind.

And I was agreeing with you. What you said makes perfect sense to me. What threatens us are not guns, or gun owners, but the culture of fear which is being encouraged in this country by this administration and the media, who are panicking people. If you haven't seen "Bowling for Columbine," you might want to rent it. It taught me quite a lot. Canada has many more gun owners than in the U.S., but their murder rate is extremely low, compared to ours.
:scared:

And the other problem, which I already stated, is that too many gun owners are not trained in how to use them safely. That also really scares me, since this leads to tragic accidents. I'm just really grateful that Maddy's incident came to a peaceful conclusion and that she probably did some good, today, helping identify an abuser to the police, though she was contacted entirely by accident.:-)

[Kenneth ken]

7. has your Dad showed up yet?

also, is it possible you have the same name as someone else, and she got your number out of the phone book or something?

:hug:

[Maddy McCall]

14. Yes, but he's gone now.

I think he's down the driveway, watching the gate to see if anyone is going to attempt to drive through it. He's armed.

If someone drives through without decals on their fenders and bubble lights on their roof, they'd better be careful when they approach him.

[uppityperson]

8. Hey, you doing ok ?

Sounds scary, dealing with crazy folks. Hang in there

[Maddy McCall]

16. Nothing is scarier than a crazy, drunk, redneck woman

[Floogeldy]

20. She's jealous of you

Her honey must have stared at you while driving by as you were working in your yard, or something. ;)

B-)

[Maddy McCall]

43. LOL! Well ain't you sweet!

He might have seen me toying around the field on my kid's dirt bike, though. :D

[Ironpost]

12. I hope everthing is ok

none of us likes to tangle with bad news people during the day let alone in the middle of the night. Wish there was something I could do to help. Hopefully she doesn't know you or where you live.

[Maddy McCall]

18. Well, she knows my number....and my address islisted in the...

phonebook right beside my name.

I'm pretty certain she could easily find me. I live in the rural area outside the small town.

Thanks for just chatting with me. It's doing wonders for easing my tension.

[ikojo]

105. I know it's too late to remove your name from a phone book,

but how about paying a little extra on your phone bill each month and having your number unpublished and unlisted? I do this and it gives me a little bit peace of mind. There are sickos out there who look for phone numbers where it is only a woman's name listed. If I did have my name listed it would be by my initials only, that way no one would be able to tell if I am male or female.


It sucks that women are forced to take such precautions.

If you cannot afford to have your phone number unlisted and unpublished, the phone company will change your number for a month or so if you have been harrassed.

[Floogeldy]

17. Looks like you are handling this very well.

Good job, and keep it up.

B-)

[Maddy McCall]

21. Thanks, Floog.

With a kid here, I tend to get a little defensive...no one's going to come up to my sanctuary in the woods and fuck up our peace. No ONE. I make sure of that.

[uppityperson]

19. How's your kid's knee today?

That was him that chunked it yesterday, wasn't it?

[Maddy McCall]

32. It's fine. We went to my doc today...

who "informally looked at it," and he told me to keep the neosporin off of it and to continue to soak it in Betadine, as NSMA had advised.

Damned NSMA ought to start charging a fee for her medical advice. She was right on the money on it.

The kid was pissed at me for even letting the doc see it. He still says it doesn't hurt. :shrug:

I'd be on the couch all weekend, with it elevated and iced. :scared:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

39. keep wounds clean clean clean

and dry dry dry...moist attracts bacteria

[uppityperson]

40. And look, it'll make such a neat scar

especially if you keep picking the scab off.

[Maddy McCall]

45. Right after the wreck, the first kiddo said was...

"My knee looks much worse than Drew's looks. Can't wait for Drew to see it."

Kids this age will sit around for hours and discuss everthing from scars to athletes foot. It's all about their bodies. :silly:

[Swamp Rat]

27. Hang in there

:)

[Maddy McCall]

33. Thanks, you guys, for keeping me company.

:loveya:

[Swamp Rat]

44. Let me show you my latest pic!

I was going to premiere it on the Mike Malloy thread tonight, but instead I went out to party in the French Quarter.

[Maddy McCall]

47. That is fucking AWESOME!

You are a great graphics guy. No doubt.

Where'd you go party in the quarter? I'm heading down in a week or two to expose my son to Bourbon street DURING THE DAY. We're going to come down on the Amtrack. :D

[Swamp Rat]

54. Royal Street is much nicer... lots of antique shops.

Take your son to the Aquarium/IMAX and/or on a Riverboat ride to Audobon Zoo. Decatur Street has the French Market, live music, artists, Jackson Square etc.

Right now, we have Jazz Fest, this weekend and next - it's a lot of fun if you like jazz, blues, Native American folk music, Brazilian/Cuban music, rock, gospel, and funk. I'm going to see the Meters tomorrow, for example. Why not come next weekend? Your son might like to eat alligator sausage or crawfish pie. Today I ate 10 lbs. of crawfish and a pound of shrimp... I was STUFFED!

Tonight we went bar hopping down Magazine St., then we went all around the Quarter , ending up at Cafe du Monde to have coffee and begnets. :9

Btw, have you seen this person?

:D

[Maddy McCall]

56. I can't make it during Jazz Fest...wish I could.

I'm probably going to bring him during a week day. Sounds like YA;LL had a GREAT TIME, though. I will definitely stop for begnets and coffee. Might stop in at K Paul's too. :D

[Swamp Rat]

58. Don't forget to get some pralines!

:9

[Maddy McCall]

61. Hun, I can make the best pralines you ever wrapped your lips around.

Everyone loves my pralines. :D

[Swamp Rat]

81. You make it sound so sexy!

I LOVE pralines! ;) :D

[EFerrari]

60. Just when I thought it was safe to look at anything

:rofl:

[xultar]

28. OOOOoooooooooo I wish I lived near you. I'd come over and kick her ass!

I got your back in spirit. You've got all of us who care about you. :hugs:

[Maddy McCall]

34. LOL! I wish you were here, too.

At least we could have a couple of drinks and shoot the breeze.

:D

[Sannum]

35. Yes...

We could be the DU version of the "Crazy 88" from Kill Bill:).

Stay safe!

[Maddy McCall]

48. LOL! I want to be the school girl who can fling the mace.

She was BAD ASS. :D

[uppityperson]

50. I have a big dog who barks at noises.

Cars, tractors, airplanes, noises in his head. I wasn't sure if he'd be a big doofus or an actual protector until my son came running up to the house a couple years ago with his adult sized friend chasing him. The dog got between them, snarling and showing his teeth. It was way cool and scary.

And he chases the numerous deer out of the yard too. And fertilizes deep brush (won't poop unless the brush is shoulder high).

[Maddy McCall]

53. I've got a Weimy and 24 guineas that alert when someone is coming...

up the drive. They make an excellent alarm for me. :D

Your dog reminds me of a dog I used to have. Her name was Matilda...she was a Great Pyrenees--part dog, part pony. And she was very protective of us. Sadly, a pack of coyotes killed her. :(

[uppityperson]

59. 24 guineas? good lord, do you have any hearing left?

I thought of getting some of those, but they are too noisy for me (not to mention my husband). We have coyotes around here but they don't have big packs of them, usually just individuals trying to get at the chickens or a few singing together off in the woods.

We had a cougar come through 1 night a couple yrs ago. I didn't see it but felt it (I lived in AK bear country for a bit and got to recognize the feeling of a bear watching you from the brush) when I was outside putting the dog to bed in the back of the truck. See, that way we can't sneak off and leave him at home. He's a doofus. Feeling a large cat watching me spooked me. Neighbor had him in his compost the next day.

24 guineas, all you need is a couple dozen peacocks too. SCreeeeech!

[Maddy McCall]

62. They are actually pretty quiet, unless they are hungry or unless...

a car comes up the drive.

God, your cougar story is scary! Still, though, there's nothing better than living in a rural setting. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

[uppityperson]

Yeah, I like living out.

Weirdest thing about the cougar is I've never seen one in the wild.

I got that feeling, somethings looking at me and it doesn't feel like a bear, feeling, oh baby. I got that bluuuuuuueeee lookin at me feeling, ah ha....

I saw my first wild bobcat a couple wks ago, looked like a bigassed racoon from a ways away, then a big manx cat closer, then a pointy eared bobcat closer. And hummingbirds showed up today to the great amusement of my 6 month old kitten in the window.

[Tsiyu]

68. Freaky

Have you ever heard one?

Hope Maddy's OK...

[uppityperson]

74. Only hear coyotes, hummingbirds, owls, frogs

Friends say they've heard mt.lions, but I haven't. We have barred owls that make all sorts of weird calls including hissing from the young when they're still in the nest. They are biggish sort of owls with big round black eyes and very friendly and people tolerant.

[Maddy McCall]

79. A couple of years ago, I walked out to drive my kid to school...

and I saw the oddest pile of fecal matter ever. It was bird poo, but a HUGE pile of it. Fresh. I thought :wtf:.

So we drive up our driveway, and there standing in the middle of our driveway was an emu that had escaped from one of the many emu farms around here.

I thought I was hallucinating. :silly:

I love the owls around here, but they keep their distance since we got the guineas. We do have many, many hawks around, though, and I saw a turkey nesting in the front field today. :D

[uppityperson]

83. Hahahahha, I can just hear your thoughts "what the heck?"

Where does a 2 ton canary perch? Anywhere it wants to.


A turkey would be cool. I spent my childhood in the northern midwest and adulthood on the west coast. I'd like to see the southeast sometime.

[Ironpost]

87. Sounds like a beautiful place you have.

Wonderful too. I was raised in the country, my heart is in the country, but my better half insist we live here on the outskirts of town. And if thats what she wants then thats the way it will be. We live on property her grandmother gave her, who by the way was born in 1889. When we moved here it was all pasture so I got busy planting trees and shrubs and now we have our own little forrest. Its simply amazing how fast trees grow. Ah the good life.

[Ironpost]

66. Guineas yes

We have about 20 or so roaming around the neighborhood. As a kid we always had guineas mostly because of their watchdog qualitys and the fact that they eat lots and lots of insects, ticks too. Our dog, a border collie mix, loves to chase them, I think they like it also. Sometimes they roost in the trees in the back.

[Maddy McCall]

71. They do have huge talons.

:D

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

51. Can I bring you anything?

Soothing cup of tea?



A little cappuccino?



I'd offer to irish it up for you but you want to stay focused.

How bout a hug?

:hug:

Sending good vibes!

[Maddy McCall]

57. I'll take that cappuccino, thank you!

It looks delish! YUM.

Actually, I'm sitting here drinking a virgin grapefruit juice with crushed ice. It's pretty good, but not much on soothing the rattled nerves. :D

How's the Magistrate? You keeping him in line? :D

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

65. Oh, I'm keeping my eye on him

He's snoozing right now. I scold him when he sits up all night on the puter, and now I'm doing it. :banghead: He never scolds me, though. I'm perfect. :D

I'll bet that crazy woman has passed out. Or maybe the cops took her in. Any word yet?

[Maddy McCall]

70. No, no word from either the cop or the woman.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. AS crazed as she was when she called here, by the time he got there, no telling what happened.

I'm hoping he's safe.

[Tsiyu]

63. I'll be up for a while

Any more phone calls?

I can relate to the "alone in the woods" thing. I am lucky that my son and his college buddies are in and out, because there are a lot of freaks out there.

How fortunate you have all those guineas. I learned the hard way not to try to catch one by the tail!

You alone with the babe, that sucks. But thank goodness for a trusty 12-gauge....

We're here for you. :hug:

[Maddy McCall]

69. Thanks, BHG.

No, I haven't heard from either the crazy woman or the deputy. I'm wondering if he got tied up in something with her. Like I said, she was six sheets to the wind when she called me two hours ago.

Thanks for caring. :hug:

[Tsiyu]

76. Hopefully she's passed out somewhere and will forget the whole thing

but sounds like she might be a cranker. They get worked up and paranoid and violent.

Please be careful with this one. But you sound like the Mama bear type ( ;) takes one to know one) and she better watch out, too.

[Maddy McCall]

82. I have no problem with her...

until she sets foot on my property, and then there's gonna be hell to pay. :grr:

Yeah, we have lots of folks on meth around here. That's what I was thinking, too.

[Tsiyu]

86. They have shown up at friends' places

threatening to burn down the house, etc.

The one freak around here who does that crap knows to stay away from me. Especially when my youngest is in residence.

I just hate that you have to deal with this crap. I'm looking into more lighting- maybe solar powered motion detectors. You can also get these thingies that alert when someone enters your driveway.

But $$$$ as always... Glad you're still ok You must be tired :donut:

[Richard Steele]

64. The candle I lit for you is kinda LAME...

I just went into the living room and grabbed the first one I saw; it's one of those dinky things in a shot glass, and it smells like really cheap vanilla!

But I lit it for ya.

Then I took a few pics to post, (next to my iMac showing your sig-pic), but it seems that my card reader has died.

So, you'll have to take my word for it: Lamest Candle EVER!

To make up for my lack of pics, I attached the ol' 'Flux Capacitor' to my search engine, and dug up a candle jpg from the Oval Office circa 2010:

BOLTON-Skull candleholder:

[uppityperson]

67. That's good.

What an uncanny resemblance, very good

[Richard Steele]

72. Yeah I think it really says, " This, too, shall pass."

Seemed appropriate.

[Maddy McCall]

73. LMAO! You are too thoughtful.

Is that candle supposed to soothe me or scare the shit out of me? LOL!

You have me laughing now, so that's a good thing. ;-)

[Richard Steele]

80. I'm here all night....try the fish! (BaDUMbump!)

[Swamp Rat]

78. LOL!

[Tsiyu]

88. You are a mess Swamp Rat

but you can always cheer somebunny up!

You still got crawdad juice on your chin? :)

[Swamp Rat]

96. yep... boa noite!

[Piperay]

75. That's so freaky

please be very careful there are so many nutty dangerous people around nowdays. :hug:

[Maddy McCall]

77. Thanks. I'll be careful.

I'm a mother lioness with the kid.

:hug:

[Fridays Child]

84. I'm reading these posts and holding good thoughts for you and your son.

It's been awhile since the cop left, huh? Should you call the station for information?

[Maddy McCall]

89. He said he'd be back but that it may be an hour.

I'm going to try to lie down and get a catnap. I'll hear him when he gets here. I'm certain that he's gone to see her and adviced her to leave me alone. She would be awfully stupid to try anything tonight.

I'm very exhausted.

[Rhiannon12866]

85. Yikes! I'm here with you!

I just hope you're okay! How scary! Let us know what happens, since you know DUers will always hang with you and, if close enough, just drive to your house! I know I would. But I'll now read the rest of the thread. I'm so sorry, but I'm here!

Rhiannon:hug:

[Maddy McCall]

91. We're ok. I'm over the initial rush of fright...now I'm getting really...

sleepy.

I'm going to try to catch a few winks.

I'll update the thread when something happens.

Love all you DUers. :loveya:

[Rhiannon12866]

97. Get some good rest. And we love you, too.

It was you who was kind enough to first post the pix of my dogs, when I was new and could not. I'll never forget your kindness. Just let us know how you are and get some well-needed rest, my friend. Stay safe.

Rhiannon:hug:

[norml]

90. This is another reason why I always let the answering machine pick up

and I wait until they say something, before I do. If they're selling something, or if it's a crank call, or if I just don't feel like talking, they can talk to the machine.

[Maddy McCall]

92. Thanks everyone for keeping me company.

I'm going to try to take a quick nap. My son won't go to sleep--this has him scared, too--so I figured the best way to show him everything's ok is for me to lie down for a few minutes.

:loveya: each and everyone for keeping me company and for caring about me. :grouphug:

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

93. Sleep well!

We're watching over you... :hug:

[Rhiannon12866]

95. Get some rest and PLEASE keep us updated.

I am so sorry that you had to go through this nightmare, but you know DU is always here for you. Just rest.

Rhiannon:hug:

[Adelante]

100. Maddy, dear

Please let us know how things are today. Stay safe.

[melnjones]

106. Any updates for us, Maddy?

Just checking in to see how you are doing. :hug:

[Maddy McCall]

108. Everything worked out amazingly well.

Here's the update thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3107214

And thanks for asking about me. If it wouldn't have been for DUers keeping me company, I think I would have chickened out and spend the evening at my parents' house.

[thecai]

109. You're Not Really Scared Are You?

IMO, your insticts would kick in to protect your child, and you don't seem intimidated by "big-mouths" or "trouble-makers". But don't let your guard down, and don't let fear stress you.