Mojo and the Hat

When Jack saw this hat in August at Target and placed it on his head...he looked in the mirror and grinned. When he asked his cousin Ellie who was with him what she thought, she said, "That's cool, Jack" and it clinched the deal. He bought the hat for $12...and pretty much hasn't taken it off since except for school...

So when Jack was packing for our Disney cruise, we had this conversation:

Jack: "Mom, I think I'm going to bring my hat."

Mom: "Sure Jack."

Jack: "I have to have my hat, Mom. It's my mojo."

His mojo?? Had he seen the Austin Powers' movies? (For those who haven't seen, it's an outrageous comedy where Austin Powers, a secret agent from the '60's has unbelievable sexual charm which he refers to as his 'Mojo, baby'... His mojo is so strong that there is an evil plot underway to try to steal it....but I digress...)

OK. I just shut up and tried to listen. I read a book about talking to teenage boys and it says that they'll control when they want to talk...the opportunities may not be frequent...but when they happen...you should drop everything and take advantage of the moment.

Mom: "Your mojo?" I ask in a leading way, hoping he'll say more...but not trying to say too much because then he usually shuts up...

Jack: "Yeah. I feel way more comfortable wearing my hat...without it, I don't have my mojo..."

Mom: "Oh. I see. Don't you think you're mojo comes from within and not from the hat?"

Of course, Frosty the Snowman didn't feel that way, I know, but...

Jack: "Not really. I think I need the hat."

Mom: "Oh. Then better bring it..."

When we reached the hotel where we were spending the night before we disembarked, we met up with Jim's family. Hugging and greeting each other in the lobby, Jack's Uncle George started teasing him about his hat...

George: "What's up with the hat, Jack?" he says, trying to steal it. (Everybody is always trying to steal his hat) "I think you should lose the hat!"

Now...Jack loves and respects his Uncle George's opinion -- his cool quotient is way higher than his parents and I saw doubt start to creep into Jack's mind about his hat...


Me, knowing how important the hat is..: "I don't know, George. I like it. What do you girls think?" I say as I turn toward the two female receptionists behind the counter...

20-something Female Receptionists: "Oh no. We like it. It's cool. Keep it on."

And it was settled. George lost and Jack kept his hat on.


Jack entered the ship wearing the hat. And he didn't really take it off except to sleep.

He spent most of his time hanging out with his cousin Mark and groups of friends that they met throughout the week. Disney has a special area for Teens called The Stack and they all tend to hang out there...


I did get a few shots of him but not many.


I had to use my big-zoom, paparazzi lens to get these shots at Castaway Cay.


I think I was a whole football field away. He absolutely didn't want anyone to know he actually had parents on the trip...


When it came time to get his official portrait taken, he asked if he could wear his hat and I said, "Sure."


And when we got back to Baltimore and I was driving him home from school yesterday, he started to talk about the trip. So I shut up and listened.

He had the time of his life. It was fun hanging out with kids his age and having the freedom on the boat to come and go as they pleased. So I had to ask...

Me: "How did the hat work for you? Did the girls like it?"

Jack: "Oh, yeah Mom. It earned me lots of cred. That's how I met them. They were two floors up and screamed down...'Hey, Nice Hat!!'"

Me: "And you responded..."

Jack: "Yeah. I was different this time. I was more outgoing than I normally am..."

Me: "How'd that work for you?"

Jack: "It was fun."


And that was it. The end of our deep discussion...