One day a mother took her daughter to an ice cream parlor and purchased an ice cream cone for each of them. As they sat at a circular, marble table, the daughter hunched on her knees and wrapped her tennis shoes around her chair. "Don't sit like that. Get down," the mother said. "Here. Now use this napkin. I don't want a mess."

The daughter licked her cone with delight as the mother watched her every move. "Is grandma bringing...," the daughter began to ask, bouncing up from her chair.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," the mother said. "Stay seated."

Then ice cream flowed over the little girl's finger and she began licking it. "I told you to pay attention," the mother said. "Now use your napkin. I don't want that dripping on your shirt."

As the girl continued eating with great cheer, the mother fussed over every move the girl made, until the mother slowly began to melt. Soon the mother was nothing but a puddle, and the daughter freely gorged herself on two ice cream cones.

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