THOSE MAGIC MOMENTS: I spent this weekend with my brother and his family. While this is noteworthy in and of itself, this weekend was special because I had what I like to call my "bonding moment" with my brother's youngest -a toddler- Bruiser (Name changed to protect the innocent.) Let me explain: My brother's kids are more emotionally complex than, say, my two married sisters' broods. While my sisters' kids are instantly friendly to anyone who walks in the door (Sidebar: It's a good thing my oldest sister lives in a sheltered community in Israel, her kids would be more than happy to jump into a stranger's car right quick.) my brother's need to be coaxed into worshipping the ground I walk on. [Sigh, being an uncle these days requires more legwork than it used to.] But I digress. Bruiser, a stubborn little guy, used to hide behind his mother's skirt whenever I came near him. I should also mention that at a mere 6' 1" I am the tallest member of my known family (immediate and extended) and I am probably the tallest being he has ever set eyes upon. This weekend, after the Friday night Sabbath meal, I stretched out on my brother's new couch and was coerced into reading a story for Princess (not her real name,) another of my brother's little people. While reading, Bruiser sized up my lanky body and decided that I make a perfect jungle gym. And so a bond was formed. By the end of the evening, the only way my sister-in-law could get the little guy to bed was to promise him that he could wake me up and play with me first thing in the morning. Thankfully, he didn't seem to recall the deal in the morning as I'm told he's quite the early riser and I -as you can image- prefer to emerge as close to noon as possible on a Saturday morn.