You can always count on kids to take you down a peg or two. They have a way of innocently puncturing the self-images of unsuspecting adults. Thankfully, this time it wasn’t mine.
My brother-in-law was the most recent, unwitting target of my youngest child’s refreshing candor, and all he had to do to earn such brutal honesty was do me a favor.
My poor wife had to get some dental surgery the day before Thanksgiving. My sister and her husband had graciously agreed to watch our two youngest kids that morning, while I took the missus to the long dreaded appointment.
I had warned my sister we would bring the kids by bright and early. I didn’t bother to warn her about the excess of personality my offspring had inherited. After all, my sister had grown up with me for an older brother.
It seems we dropped the younguns off before my brother-in-law had arisen from bed. The younger of my two daughters and her little brother were already wide open, playing with my sister’s dogs and talking full volume, by the time he made his way to the living room.
And, how does my son and heir greet his beloved uncle? Taking one look at him without his usual hat, Liam blurts out, “Why are you so bald?!”
My brother-in-law, bless him, laughed it off and said, “Well, it’s probably because you’re used to seeing me wear a hat.”
A fine theory. My brother-in-law, a rabid Syracuse fan, usually wears a cap sporting their logo. He might support other teams too, but knowing him, he wants me to mention Syracuse. Odds are good Liam has never seen him without such a cap.
Thank God, Liam refrained from any further honesty about why his uncle always wears a hat.
