Stephen ate potatoes from tonight’s beef stew for dinner. Stew dribbled down his chin when I wasn’t able to maneuver the spoon into his half-open mouth. Frustrated, I scolded him.

“Open your mouth! Open your mouth big if you want to eat!”

When I looked up from fishing for another piece of potato out of the bowl, his mouth was hanging wide open.

“Open! Open! Eat!” he tried to say with his mouth open and full of half-eaten potato bits.

Kids start mocking their parents younger and younger.