Arlo, as I was putting him to bed this evening, told me that, the harder he tugged on his ear lobes, the farther away he could hear. It was dark, and we’d been laying quietly in his bed for a few minutes, having finished James and the Giant Peach and our nightly ten minutes of Star Trek, when he let me in on his secret. He asked me if Linette was home, and, when I said that I didn’t know, he started pulling down on one of his ear lobes, telling me that, if he pulled hard enough, he could hear things happening as far away as our neighbor’s house… So, if you’re one of the new EMU students who just moved in next door, and you should happen to see Arlo in his window, pulling on his ear, be careful what you say. He’s listening. And he’s known to repeat things verbatim at inopportune moments.
And, no, that’s not Arlo in the photo above. That’s Carol Burnett, who, if I’m not mistaken, is the human being most commonly associated with ear pulling.
[If you’ve got a few extra minutes, check out our Totally Quotable Arlo archive.]
8 Comments
Now tell him that he can also taste what others are eating by pulling on his tongue.
Carol’s ear lobe pull was a I Love You signal to her mother who was watching at home. So actually Arlo’s pulling his ear is a signal that he loves Carol Burnett’s mother — which is very nice.
I know Carol claimed that it was her way of communicating with her mother, Gregory, but what if she was really just listening to us in our homes?
Strange you should mention Star Trek. The franchise turns 50 today.
Read more:
http://www.npr.org/2016/09/08/492880770/much-more-than-a-five-year-mission-star-trek-turns-50
Every time Carol Burnette pulled her ear lobes, sleeper agents were activated. Remember, this was during the cold war.
When I didn’t listen as a kid, my mother would drag me by my ear. All these years, I thought it was child abuse. Maybe, though, she was just helping me to hear better.
Can he hear Grandma telling him what a special boy he is and how much she loves him? Listen close, Arlo!!
They’re so cute at that age.
…I mean 50 year old guys. It’s cute how they don’t pick up on the subtle threats their young children make toward them.