Declarations

Pierce Mill, Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC

A few weeks ago, we went to the zoo.  One of our last stops was at the invertebrate house where we were delighted to discover an enormous octopus. We were all entranced and quickly joined the crowd of admirers. 

Camille elbowed her way up to the glass and with her index finger she traced the path of one of the large and sinuous tentacles. She did this in a slow, trance-like movement before announcing in a loud voice: "This is my favorite part to eat". It was such a startling comment and in such sharp contrast to the hypnotic movement of her finger, that the woman standing next to me gasped, giggled nervously, and stepped back. 

It's true. Camille does love to eat octopus tentacles (thanks in large part to spending her early years of life in Japan and Italy). It just felt a little jarring to hear her proclaim it in such a public way while standing in front of what was clearly meant to be an educational display and not a tank at a seafood restaurant. 

I love my kids.