"I Could Just Kick Myself." Well, now you can! Did your parents ever tell you all you needed was a swift kick in the butt? If you were in grade school around the time I was – back when no one much cared about your self-esteem or your feelings – you might have heard a teacher say these very same words to/at you. Perhaps when you've screwed up, yet again, you've even uttered these words to yourself under your breath.