Listening to them, you begin to understand what Nietzsche meant when he said the strong must be protected from the weak. The force of the whining is so overwhelming, the corresponding urge not to appear mean or unreasonable so great, that one is tempted to make humiliating concessions just to shut them up.
This year our school moved into a different building, one of the many benefits of this being access to eight pristinely-paved tennis courts for recess. In August, administration graciously provided equipment for pickleball, but the squibs quickly and intelligently abandoned the game, and instead began bringing their own tennis racquets (which they call "thundersticks") for jeu de paume. Skills are enthusiastically developing and interpretations are thriving. What a blast.
