There are those special moments, when you see yourself reflected in your child.  The color of their eyes.  The way they move their hands, when expressing themselves.  Their choice of beer.  What?  Wait a second.  Don’t judge me (just yet, anyway).  Allow me to explain.

As the Paulsen clan enjoyed a post-doubleheader dinner out with my 10-year-old son Jacob’s baseball team, we heard reports that his 5-year-old little brother Ben remarked, “This place has good beer.”  It was at that moment, when I was not sure if my heart should swell with pride or wallow in shame.  My youngest has developed an apparent ability to evaluate a restaurant’s beer selection, even before he can read.  Time well spent with Daddy?  Hum, open to debate.  Sure the waitress had never heard of a Black and Tan, but they did have some quality brown ale on tap.  Good job, Ben.  I’m not sure if we want to add this skill to your early resume, but it will still come in handy (later, much later, in life).

[Blogger’s Clarification:  upon further investigation, it appears as if young Ben was referencing the restaurant’s many advertisements for root beer floats.  Kudos to the restaurant for effective marketing to kids.  Joe Camel, take note and grab a cold one.]