We were all seated at the dinner table. I had succumbed to
the temptation to give everyone what they wanted rather than insist upon a common
meal. So Peter and I had chicken and white bean stew. William was nibbling on quinoa
salad. And Penny was in the midst of inhaling a bowl of black bean soup.

Black bean soup is one of her favorite meals, but it’s a
mess. And she didn’t help the messiness by pushing her chair away from the
table and dripping soup all over the place as she brought the spoon to her
mouth. Soon enough, her bare foot was covered with specks of black beans. She
brought her foot to her mouth and licked it. Really. She did. She then got a
stern reprimand from her father, and we moved on.

A few minutes later, the bowl of soup empty and her pile of
red pepper chunks untouched, I said, “Penny, I notice there is something you
haven’t eaten.”

There’s a brief pause. “My foot!” she proclaims, as if she
deserves great commendation.

Peter and I can’t contain our laughter.

And then I say, “No, something else. It’s on your plate.”

She looks down, studying her toes.

Peter says, “I’ll give you a hint. It’s red.”

Still looking down, she says, “Newspaper!”

We’re puzzled at first. Where
did she come up with that? And then we catch each other’s eye. She couldn’t have meant to make a pun? I
shake my head in answer to his unspoken question.

And then Penny says, “You read a newspaper!” As if to say, “Really,
Mom and Dad, didn’t you get that funny joke?”

I learned a few things about our daughter today. She’s
flexible enough to put her toes in her mouth. She couldn’t care less about good
table manners. And she knows how to make us laugh.

We’ll keep working on the table manners. Meanwhile, I’m
grateful for the laughter.