Eternal Youth

In a restaurant recently, I ordered a local IPA (India Pale Ale) because we were out of town (in Maine, and this was a local "Casco" ale), and the price was right, and the kids got to eat free because it was Wednesday. I knew I was taking a bit of a risk, because the boys might be intrigued, and Daniel might try to drink some, but it seemed like something of a special occasion. Right on queue, Daniel started agitating for a sip of beer, even though he was very unlikely to like the taste, and finally I went into legalistic mode and said, "Daniel, I cannot let you take a drink of my beer. It's against the law."

Ian was very surprised by this: "Really?!"

I explained that nobody can drink beer legally until they're 21, which prompted Ian to ask, "Wait - when you're 21, you'r not a child any more?"

(April 27, 2011)