The young boy sat at the dinner table nibbling on his precious tortilla chip.

Mom had loaded a plate on his behalf, thoughtfully passing on spicier fare. His nachos consisted of nothing more exciting than chips, cheese and some beans. The plate was rather overloaded for a youngster slightly older than three. Mom’s eyes must have been bigger than his stomach.

On the floor, under the boy’s chair, it looked like a chip-bomb had exploded. That would be the floor I had vacuumed just hours before.

Mom glanced over at the kid and with an annoyed look on her face and said, “Don’t eat just the chip. Eat some beans and cheese, too.”

The kid watched mom divert back to her adult conversation. He half-heartedly nibbled at the same damn chip but only long enough to sell the ruse. No rice. No beans.

He pushed his plate away and asked to be excused. Mom said fine.

Later he enjoyed all the dessert he ever wanted. The boy was being taught well. And he was intelligent enough to glean the lesson.