Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Pied Piper


My husband has a very interesting quality.  Kids are magically drawn to him.  I think it's because he's a big kid inside - or maybe he smells like cotton candy. 

He used to have long hair with a beard and looked just like a short Jesus.  Once when we were picking my son up from preschool, a little girl grinned and said, "I know who you are." 

Often at home when he's working outside, the little boys down the street come over to help.  They like to give him advice.  Once a little boy told him, "You made a mistake," and supervised his work until I told the kid it was time to go home.

Every day this week on vacation at the beach whenever we've been at the pool or the ocean, my husband has been surrounded by a posse of small people.  The children were like the fish in the tank in Evan Almighty.  Wherever he went, the kids followed. 

The parents watched him from comfortable chairs (as did I) and never intervened.  More than once after laughing out loud and taking pictures of this phenomenon, I tried to give him an out and suggested we change venues and go to the beach instead of the pool or vice versa.  Within ten minutes, the kids followed and their parents set up chairs 100 feet away. 

He's a super nice guy and would never do what I would do - I would say, "Hey, your mom's calling for you."  Or "Go tell your dad I charge $25 an hour for beachside childcare." 

It's so funny because he's not engaging them or inviting them to play with our little guy.  I think they just see all the attention he's giving my son and are craving it too.  Or maybe it's the thing where he acts with a complete lack of malice in everything he does.  He's a genuinely good person.  I bet the under five crowd can smell it on him.

12 comments:

  1. That's touching. I'd be like you though - shooing kids away!

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    1. It's hard to believe so many parents sat there on beach towels while their kids played with a stranger for hours.

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  2. I would like to see those pictures.... especially the one ....the children were like the fish in the tank in Evan Almighty.

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    1. I took it on my crappy camera phone. Every time he went to the deep end, they went too. Darn those floaties.

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  3. Aw, he's a kid magnet. Which is better than the alternative. :D

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    1. Very true. My kids love him that much too. :)

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  4. Some people attract children. They just do. My hubby says te same about me but then again my first house is in Cancer...my identity is the mother. Astrology stuff.

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  5. How adorable. Too many of them and I'd shoo them away, too. Dogs & kids seem to be more attracted to my husband though, too. Cats like me. Maybe I smell like tuna. lol

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  6. That's cute :) My nephews LOVE my boyfriend too! They would much rather hang out with him than with me. ha ha

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  7. Maybe he's the child whisperer! That is a great story.
    Heather

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