ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel.
MELISSA BLOCK, host:
And I'm Melissa Block.
Derrick Hewitt is 15 years old, and, by his own admission, he likes to hit and hit hard. Football is his favorite game. At home he fights constantly with his younger brothers. Most of the time these tussles are playful, but sometimes he goes too far. As part of Radio Rookies, a radio training program run by member station WNYC in New York, Derrick recently set out to explore his aggressive behavior. A word of caution: His story contains language and subject matter some listeners might find disturbing.
DERRICK HEWITT reporting:
My house is crap. I came home one day, I was looking to feed my goldfish, and I noticed they weren't in the tank. So I asked my brothers, and they said, `In the bathroom.' All 10 fish were in a plastic container in the bathtub; some were floating and some were dead on the bottom. I smelled rubbing alcohol and not water inside. I asked my brothers who did that, and they didn't say anything, so I told my mom, but she didn't do anything. I just flushed my fish down the toilet and saved it in my head. I'm pretty sure I hit my brothers after that, and I think I liked it, too.
(Soundbite of fighting)
Unidentified Boy #1: Ow. Ow.
HEWITT: He got beat up. Right?
I live in a two-bedroom apartment with my mother, father, four brothers and baby sister.
All right, she's walking to the kitchen.
I'm the second oldest in the family.
You gonna give me any food?
Unidentified Boy #2: I'm gonna cut you up bad.
HEWITT: Why don't you give me no food?
MARSIA(ph): You got eggs up for your breakfast. If you don't want to eat, that's your problem.
HEWITT: My mom is good and bad. She's good because she shows me love at times, she gives me money, clothes and buys me things. She's bad because she doesn't give me as much money as I deserve, she never goes to my football games, she ignores me sometimes and she yells at me a lot.
MARSIA: Yes, I think it's fair!
HEWITT: I don't think it's fair.
Unidentified Boy #2: Jamaica, Jamaica.
MARSIA: Leave the baby alone!
HEWITT: My younger brothers--A.J., who is 12, and Matthew, who is nine--hits themselves and scratch themselves and say it's me.
Unidentified Boy #1: He spilled my juice last night.
HEWITT: I think they do that because they want me to get mad, fight with them, then get in trouble.
MARSIA: Hi. I'm Derrick's mom.
HEWITT: They be hitting me and hurting me. You see it, and you don't do nothing to them.
(Soundbite of background chatter)
MARSIA: You hit them back and you keep hitting them.
HEWITT: (Chuckles) 'Cause they keep hitting me. I hit them back, they hit me again, so I hit them again. It goes tit-for-tat because I have to get the last hit because they hit me first.
MARSIA: No, it don't work like that.
HEWITT: So I'm supposed to let them hit me and I'm supposed to say, `Stop'?
MARSIA: No, you can hit them back, but you don't beat up on them. You are stronger and bigger than they are.
HEWITT: Oh, so you're saying none of what they do can hurt me?
MARSIA: No, not like how you hurt them, no.
HEWITT: I don't hurt them. Whenever I ever seriously hurt any of them...
SABRINA: You hurt them!
HEWITT: Do not--be quiet.
So, Matthew, do you know why I am always angry, I'm always hitting you? Do you know why I'm always angry, Matthew?
MATTHEW: No.
HEWITT: Why do y'all always blame everything on me?
MATTHEW: 'Cause you always hit us.
HEWITT: If you all don't blame it on me, maybe I don't hit you.
MATTHEW: But you hit us first.
HEWITT: No, no, no. Mom ain't gonna say anything. I won't even have to be in the house, and then she says, `Who did something?' She says it was me, and I get yelled at for it.
MATTHEW: Because when you're at home, you make--mad and then you leave. Like, then you stay home by yourself, you...
(Soundbite of Hewitt hitting Matthew)
HEWITT: Don't lie.
MATTHEW: You make ma...
(Soundbite of Hewitt hitting Matthew)
HEWITT: Don't--get over here. I said stop lying. Sit your ass down. You're not goin' nowhere.
(Soundbite of Hewitt hitting Matthew)
MATTHEW: OK.
HEWITT: Let go.
MATTHEW: I'm gonna tell on you.
HEWITT: Stop touching me. I'm hitting you. Shut up.
(Soundbite of Hewitt hitting Matthew)
HEWITT: I was beating on him with my mike.
(Soundbite of Hewitt hitting Matthew)
HEWITT: That hurts, huh? That hurts, right? Yeah. All right. So why?
MATTHEW: (Sobs)
HEWITT: Why do you all blame stuff on me? I asked you a question.
(Soundbite of Hewitt hitting Matthew)
MATTHEW: Ow, you're always mean to me.
HEWITT: What?
MATTHEW: You're always mean to me.
HEWITT: I'm always mean to you? Because you all...
You might think Matthew was crying, but he wasn't. The reason he was fake crying was because he wanted me to stop.
Do you think I like Mommy or Daddy?
MATTHEW: No.
HEWITT: Who do you think I hate the most?
I wasn't hitting him that hard. See? He's already fine.
MATTHEW: Daddy.
HEWITT: Why do I hate him?
MATTHEW: 'Cause he always tell you to turn off the PlayStation and clean your side and stuff, make your bed.
HEWITT: Why do I hate Mommy?
MATTHEW: Because she always tellin' you to turn off the TV when you're watching something.
HEWITT: That's it? Oh, you a pinko bitch.
(Soundbite of Hewitt hitting Matthew)
HEWITT: Dr. Claude Chemtob--but I'll just call him Dr. C--is a child psychologist.
How many times did I hit him? Thirteen?
Dr. CLAUDE CHEMTOB (Psychologist): That's a lot of times.
HEWITT: But it wasn't hard.
I would not normally talk to a child psychologist because I don't need people like that in my life. But this one time, I made an exception.
Dr. CHEMTOB: I don't know if this is going to be helpful. I don't think you're going to like to hear it. You want to hear it anyways?
HEWITT: Sure.
I thought he might say something that would be useful to me or my story.
Dr. CHEMTOB: When they let off and hit people, the reason they do that is they actually are not paying attention or taking you seriously how the other people are experiencing it. All right? We can do it right now between us. OK, pretend you're going to hit me--OK?--and look at my face.
HEWITT: He turned his face into a small puppy dog face.
Dr. CHEMTOB: It makes you want to stop, right?
HEWITT: A little bit.
Dr. CHEMTOB: Pretend you're going to hit me and just completely ignore my face. OK?
HEWITT: And just hit you?
Dr. CHEMTOB: And just--no, don't hit me. Thank you.
(Soundbite of laughter)
Dr. CHEMTOB: But pretend you are going to hit me, but now don't even notice my face. OK? So...
HEWITT: I would just keep going.
Dr. CHEMTOB: You would just keep going.
(Soundbite of football practice; grunting)
HEWITT: Football is my window into a happier place, and that's why I love it. I like that I can hit people without getting into trouble, and there are a lot of people to hit.
Unidentified Boy #3: Who's picking up that one?
(Soundbite of football practice)
HEWITT: I've played other sports, too, but football is just the best sport ever known to man.
Unidentified Boy #4: That's a one-on-one tackle. I hope you know that.
Unidentified Boy #5: Damn, you can't do it.
HEWITT: When I play sports, I block everything out and just play my hardest. But when I have to go home...
Unidentified Boy #6: Touchdown! Yeah!
(Soundbite of cheering)
HEWITT: ...I start to remember.
They keep blaming me for leaving dishes, and I wasn't even home. Why do you still listen to them?
MARSIA: Because the dishes ...(unintelligible) you're being aggressive.
HEWITT: No. No, it's a different topic, Mom. Just...
MARSIA: Oh, OK. If I say, `Derrick, wash the dishes,' you wash the dishes.
HEWITT: Well, what if they lie, say, I wasn't even home, they did it, say it was me, you believe them, you make me wash them. Why?
MARSIA: You put dishes in the sink, too, and I tell you to do it.
HEWITT: Never mind.
I only talked to Dr. C one time, but at least he listened to me.
I get blamed for everything.
Dr. CHEMTOB: That would make a guy pretty mad if it's not fair, huh? Yes. One of the reasons people get mad is if they feel like people are not being fair. It's especially hard for kids 'cause kids are not powerful enough to do much about it with the grown-ups. So you know what they sometimes do?
HEWITT: What?
Dr. CHEMTOB: Take it out on their brothers and sisters 'cause they're smaller.
HEWITT: When I was talking to Dr. C, he told me to check my body while I'm getting angry to see my breathing and muscle tension.
(Soundbite of deep breathing exercise)
HEWITT: He also said try counting to 10 and taking deep breaths.
(Soundbite of deep breathing exercise)
Dr. CHEMTOB: See how that makes you feel calmer?
HEWITT: Mm-hmm.
Dr. CHEMTOB: Do it a couple of more times.
(Soundbite of Hewitt exhaling)
Dr. CHEMTOB: See?
HEWITT: I'm doing an interview with my mother again, Marsia, and she's in the kitchen with my little baby brother. He's 22 days old.
Why do you think I'm always angry?
MARSIA: 'Cause you want to have it your own way. When we say anything to you, you just ignore them and start acting like you're mad at the world.
HEWITT: Do you try to help me not be angry?
MARSIA: Well, I talk to you all the time, but you think I'm picking on you.
HEWITT: So how do you think I feel about the family?
MARSIA: The way you put it, you hate us all.
HEWITT: In my family, I only like my new baby brother, Trevor(ph), and my little sister, Sabrina, because they make me laugh and Sabrina's always nice to me.
SABRINA: You love me.
HEWITT: Why? How you know I love you?
SABRINA: Because.
HEWITT: When Sabrina gets older and blames things on me, I won't hit her like the rest of them 'cause she's a girl, and I just don't hit girls.
Dr. C said if my brothers ...(unintelligible) with me, it's all right to fight with them.
Dr. CHEMTOB: How about we give you another reporter's assignment? When you go home, you ask Matthew, `Hey, Matthew, when we play, do I sometimes scare you?'
HEWITT: All right.
Dr. CHEMTOB: All right? But you can't hit him if he says yes.
(Soundbite of laughter)
HEWITT: He gonna say, `No, you a punk.'
Dr. CHEMTOB: Is that what he's going to say to you?
HEWITT: He's going to say--he's has a smart mouth, and he says stuff 'cause he wants me to fight with him.
Do I scare you, Matthew?
MATTHEW: No.
HEWITT: Why do I scare you?
MATTHEW: I said you don't.
HEWITT: Why don't I scare you?
MATTHEW: Because you're a stupid-head and you're not scary.
HEWITT: Do I hurt you when we fight?
MATTHEW: No.
HEWITT: Do you think I want to hurt you?
MATTHEW: Yep.
HEWITT: Do you think I like you, Matthew?
MATTHEW: Yep.
HEWITT: Do you like me?
MATTHEW: Nope.
HEWITT: Why not?
MATTHEW: 'Cause you're a fat and stupid-ass, scary-ass bitch.
HEWITT: Hmm.
(Soundbite of Hewitt slapping Matthew)
HEWITT: You just got a slap. All right, come here.
My brothers always curse at me, but I know deep down they want to be just like me. I'm good at every sport, and I'm good with the girls.
Lately I've been happier. My mom, she's been letting me stay out longer and giving me more money to spend, and I'm always happy when there's a girl around. Girls are changing my thoughts about anger and life. I used to let out my anger by playing football; now I also do something with girls because they get my mind off of bad things and on them. I think counting to 10 is a boring idea; being with a girl is a better idea. When I'm playing sports or with my girlfriend, I'm Happy Derrick. Hakuna matata.
(Soundbite of "Hakuna Matata")
Mr. NATHAN LANE: (As Timon) (Singing) Hakuna matata, what a wonderful phrase.
HEWITT: That means `No worries' from "The Lion King."
(Soundbite of "Hakuna Matata")
Mr. LANE: (As Timon) (Singing) Hakuna matata...
HEWITT: It's a movie about a little boy lion growing up.
(Soundbite of "Hakuna Matata")
Mr. ERNIE SABELLA: (As Pumbaa) (Singing) ...craze!
Mr. LANE: (As Timon) (Singing) It means no worries for the rest of your days.
Mr. LANE and Mr. SABELLA: (As Timon and Pumbaa) (Singing in unison) It's our problem-free philosophy, hakuna matata.
HEWITT: I was talking to my friend Chico when he asked me a bunch of questions about my future, and this is what I said. Just listen up.
Yeah, my house is nice, good; the family, perfect; good wife, yeah. She gonna love the kids, too.
CHICO: What about when you get home? How are you going to, like, enter? How's going to be your entrance? Is it going to be, like, `Honey, I'm home,' and, like, everybody runs to you or...
HEWITT: No, no. It's going to more like I ring the doorbell. When they look to see who's it, I'm gonna hide, like, behind something so they can't see me, they come outside--like, if it's my wife, I'll come behind her, tap her, she turns around, give her a little kiss. It's my kids, I'll, like, go behind them, start tickling them. And then if there's, like, my kids, I'll just walk into the house and be like, `Hello, Mr. Sexy has arrived.' And, yeah, that's how it's gonna be.
CHICO: Do you think they're gonna like you?
HEWITT: Of course. My kids are gonna love me.
(Soundbite of "Hakuna Matata")
Mr. LANE and Mr. SABELLA: (As Timon and Pumbaa) (Singing in unison) Hakuna matata, what a wonderful phrase. Hakuna matata ain't no passing craze.
JOSEPH WILLIAMS: (As Simba) (Singing) It means no worries...
HEWITT: For NPR News, I'm Derrick Hewitt.
(Soundbite of "Hakuna Matata")
WILLIAMS: (As Simba) (Singing) ...for the rest of your days.
Mr. LANE: (As Timon) Yeah, sing it, kid.
Mr. LANE, Mr. SABELLA and WILLIAMS: (As Timon, Pumbaa and Simba) (Singing in unison) It's our problem-free philosophy, hakuna matata.
BLOCK: Derrick Hewitt's story came to us via the Radio Rookies program at WNYC. It was produced by Czerina Patel, with assistance from Miguel Macias and Karen Michel. You can see photographs of Derrick and find information about the Radio Rookies project at npr.org.
SIEGEL: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.
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