Bullied by a 15 Year Old

I was walking through Leith Links, a nice big grassy recreational area near Edinburgh. It was breezy, and with the wind in my face the baseball cap I was wearing nearly blew away.

Now, I would never normally wear a baseball cap backwards, other than to entertain my kids (my 'cool dad' routine). However, I did actually turn it backwards at that moment, just for a brief 50 meters till I was out of the wind.

Two teenagers were cycling towards me on their BMX bikes, maybe 15 or 16 years old. As the first cycled past, he said with his best teen-sarcastic face "ohh you look ded koool!".

I didn't tell him to fuck off, simply because every cell in my brain was so desperate to say: "NO, I DON'T NORMALLY WEAR IT LIKE THIS, HONEST!".

Fortunately, I said nothing and just turned and watched them cycle away. You can't punch teenagers when you're an adult, it'd just lead to regret.

Notes

• I refer to Leith as 'near' Edinburgh. Many would say 'in' Edinburgh since it's right on the edge of the city centre. However, Leithers like to be known as being separate from Edinburgh.

• Leith does indeed seem to have its own character, separate from that of Edinburgh. There's a stronger sense of community for a start, and it has always had a diverse population, partly from being a port town where all shipping used to dock. It's now being gentrified, so sadly this character will be gone before too long.

• The laughter at the dinner table as I related my experience was louder and more persistent than I felt was justified. I certainly don't want to shame my wife or my eldest child, but their sympathies seemed particularly lacking.