Frederic is Getting an Excellent Science Education

I heard whimpering and footsteps coming down the grand staircase.  Frederic (8) bounded through the living room doorway, looked around, and saw me laying on my stomach on the carpet, up on my elbows, typing away on my laptop.  He was carrying a cup of ice that he had been munching on.

"Daddy!" [whimpers] "I shrunk my tongue, eating this ice."

I tried valiantly not to giggle, covering my face with the inside of my elbow.

"Pray tell, Juaca Baby (that's Fred's nickname), how do you know you shrunk your tongue?!"

I buried my face further into my arm, trying desperately to hide my mirth.

"I used to be able to touch almost to my nose with my tongue and now I can only touch to here," Fred said, as he pointed to about halfway between his lips and nose.

"Show me, buddy."

He wound up his face muscles and tentatively stuck his tongue out - touching just beneath his nose.

"Oh.  I guess I didn't shrink it!"

Then Fred flashed one of his beautiful smiles, giggled, and bounded back up the stairs.

Felicity (6) walked over and saw me burying my face into my arm, pointed to me and laughed.

"Daddy is having sympathy pains.  He can't handle Freddie telling him about his tongue!"

I couldn't hold it in anymore, ripped my arm away, and laughed with her.