I’m at Aldi and a kid keeps screaming his head off. It looks like he hurt himself – tears over his face – and then decided to cash in on the attention. It was clear by looking at him that he was only after attention, that there was no (longer any) problem whatsoever.

I’m thinking “How do I get him to stop? Tell him that his hair will fall out? No, I don’t want him to get scared.”

So I tell him that sometimes, if you cry for a long time, your hair will fall out.

He stops instantly.

I am amazed. Yay, it worked!

His mother smiles at me.

He’s not entirely sure because his mother did not confirm the validity of what I said, but he clearly does not want to risk that his hair falls out.

Now, laugh.