The fact that I shave my head causes no end of amusement to people around me. It's been around 5 years since I wrote that linked post, but it seems like some things never change. The Mild Ex has been known to be amused by my shaved head, and I'm pretty sure I've heard similar comments in the last few weeks.
It's just one of those things that I've gotten used to. Heck, even the little kids seem to get in on the act. Though, frankly, I never quite understood why. I know for older folks, part of the appeal is that it's they're used to seeing me look different. There was also an old supervisor of mine who assumed that I had lost a bet. Either way, these are very adult reasons to be amused. Think about it: a little kid doesn't have that past mental image of me from which to draw, nor are they going to understand what kind of bet would cause you to shave your head if you lost. For them, there has to be a much simpler explanation.
And it's not a fluke, either. I remember when a smart pair of twins were younger, they used to love patting my head when I sat on the futon. You should've seen the looks on their faces, too. It was pure glee, the kind you see when a kid is playing with a new toy or genuinely laughing at some joke they heard. Now, they weren't quite old enough to verbalize why they were so amused, but they would laugh like crazy whenever this happened. I never quite understood what was so funny, but I just rolled with it. I just figured they liked returning the favor (I will sometimes muss up little kids' hair or pat them on the head as part of a good bye).
However, I was reminded of this recently, when I saw another little kid react the exact same way. There were actually a lot of little kids around, and we were all playing a rousing game of "everybody jump on Sam" (picture something like a dog pile). I don't quite remember what led to this, but at some point, there were three little kids trying to climb on my back. The pertinent point here, though, is that this mean I was not standing up. And since my head was within his reach, he decided to pat me on the head. I didn't know if he was trying to pat me on the head, or rub my head, but either way, he was definitely making contact with my noggin.
Again, he laughed quite a bit when he did this. And then he did it a couple more times. This kid was also too young to explain why he found this so funny, but I remember wondering what exactly he was so amused by.
Luckily for me, two things happened: 1. some of the kids jumping on me decided to get in on the act, and 2. they were old enough to talk. So when the game transitioned into "everybody rub Sam's head while laughing maniacally," I was actually able to ask them what the heck they were doing. Specifically, I was able to ask them why they thought it was so funny.
As it turns out, they said that, "it feels different than other people's heads." Aha! Mystery solved. Since I keep my hair short, it tends to have a different feel than most other people's locks. I just hope I don't run into any other mysteries that take me five years and a stroke of luck (having the right kids trying to rub my head) to figure it out.
It's just one of those things that I've gotten used to. Heck, even the little kids seem to get in on the act. Though, frankly, I never quite understood why. I know for older folks, part of the appeal is that it's they're used to seeing me look different. There was also an old supervisor of mine who assumed that I had lost a bet. Either way, these are very adult reasons to be amused. Think about it: a little kid doesn't have that past mental image of me from which to draw, nor are they going to understand what kind of bet would cause you to shave your head if you lost. For them, there has to be a much simpler explanation.
And it's not a fluke, either. I remember when a smart pair of twins were younger, they used to love patting my head when I sat on the futon. You should've seen the looks on their faces, too. It was pure glee, the kind you see when a kid is playing with a new toy or genuinely laughing at some joke they heard. Now, they weren't quite old enough to verbalize why they were so amused, but they would laugh like crazy whenever this happened. I never quite understood what was so funny, but I just rolled with it. I just figured they liked returning the favor (I will sometimes muss up little kids' hair or pat them on the head as part of a good bye).
However, I was reminded of this recently, when I saw another little kid react the exact same way. There were actually a lot of little kids around, and we were all playing a rousing game of "everybody jump on Sam" (picture something like a dog pile). I don't quite remember what led to this, but at some point, there were three little kids trying to climb on my back. The pertinent point here, though, is that this mean I was not standing up. And since my head was within his reach, he decided to pat me on the head. I didn't know if he was trying to pat me on the head, or rub my head, but either way, he was definitely making contact with my noggin.
Again, he laughed quite a bit when he did this. And then he did it a couple more times. This kid was also too young to explain why he found this so funny, but I remember wondering what exactly he was so amused by.
Luckily for me, two things happened: 1. some of the kids jumping on me decided to get in on the act, and 2. they were old enough to talk. So when the game transitioned into "everybody rub Sam's head while laughing maniacally," I was actually able to ask them what the heck they were doing. Specifically, I was able to ask them why they thought it was so funny.
As it turns out, they said that, "it feels different than other people's heads." Aha! Mystery solved. Since I keep my hair short, it tends to have a different feel than most other people's locks. I just hope I don't run into any other mysteries that take me five years and a stroke of luck (having the right kids trying to rub my head) to figure it out.
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