Head Magnet

I have three younger siblings, so it goes without saying that the youngest, Zach, was spoiled by the rest of us. (I'm sure he'd disagree heartily - in fact, Zach, if you're reading this, this is probably a good place to stop reading and find something else to do... Love ya, brudder!)

He's also always had a great sense of humor and in many ways was our main source of entertainment for a long time. (What can I say? I mean, we watched TV, but it was an old set and the color often went weird so that you had to bang it on the side for it to go back to normal, and there's just only so much TV-set-banging that a lazy group of kids can take during those long days of summer.) Anyway, you'll have to ask me in person for more details about Zach's antics because I think I'll keep most of the embarrassing anecdotes on this blog limited to my own children - who will, I'm sure, repay me heartily one of these days. However, I have to share about Head Magnet.

It's not much of a story, really, but my family was always one in which showing affection was less about sweet words and gentle touches and more about noogies and nicknames. In fact, my mother herself had somewhat embarrassing nicknames for each of us. (For instance, mine was "Chewbacca." See what I mean??)

Anyway, Zach, was always pretty affectionate - but in a rough-n-tumble way, of course, especially when he was big enough to bowl us over with his hugs - the "bowling" part being the primary objective over the "hug" part. But one thing he started doing when he was still pretty short and scrawny was that he'd come up to us and lean his head on our arm or back or shoulder or hip or whatever body part was closest. It always seemed funny to me because it would only be that one part of his forehead or crown touching - not an arm around our waist or anything else. And so, naturally, he earned the name, "Head Magnet." After all, that's exactly what it looked like - as if the top of his head was a huge magnet and it was attracted to other bodies and had a crazy ability to stick to those other bodies even when the other bodies were trying to escape or were busy doing something else. Being the good-natured guy that he is, Zach happily adopted this superpower, and soon the Head Magnet was used more like a battering ram... but like I said, I'll save the other stories for another forum.

I've often found myself slipping up and calling my children by the names of my two youngest siblings, and lately, I'm even beginning to see Luke and Sarah developing some of Zach's and Caroline's traits as well. (It's a little eerie...not that I have any problem with them being alike - but it's eerie all the same. Besides, I've been on a bit of a crossword binge lately, and it's impossible for me to avoid an opportunity to use the word "eerie" in a sentence.) Sarah's resemblence to her Aunt Caroline deserves a post all its own, and maybe someday you'll see that one. But with Luke, it's the Head Magnet.

Because every time - Every. Time. - I sit down at the computer to get some work done, a Presence appears at my left shoulder - and then before I know it, I've been joined to a Head Magnet. See the following evidence from a quick Photobooth session this morning:

It doesn't matter what I do, the Head Magnet remains attached. I can swivel to the printer, and he's there. I can lean down to shred something, and he leans down with me. I can growl at him in frustration, and he only moves in closer. In a word, I'm trapped, and there's no getting away from the Head Magnet.

So be forewarned, all you out there. He is waiting. He is waiting for you to sit down and offer an unprotected shoulder... He is... Head Magnet (Jr.).

(Ok, that got a little silly. Have I mentioned how many early reader superhero books I've had to read lately??)