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When my son Tobey was nine years old, he wanted to surprise his older sister Vanessa with a homemade birthday cake. We bought her favorite cake mix with brightly colored sprinkles baked right into the cake.

I periodically checked on the young chef's progress. He was following the directions and using the mixer carefully. But when I checked on him a few minutes later, I was horrified to find Tobey wrist-deep in batter!

When he saw my face, he assured me that he'd washed his hands first. Then he gestured toward the empty packet of sprinkles and said, "Can you believe it? The instructions said, 'Mix by hand.'"

—Phyllis Ring
Exeter, New Hampshire

After returning from a photography trip with my two-year-old granddaughter Danielle, I placed my camera on the table. Her aunt, Lora, arrived a little later and started talking with her. Noticing the camera Lora asked Danielle, "Do you know what this is?"

Without hesitating, she grinned and replied, "Cheese."

—Charlene Daley
Janeville, New Brunswick

Despite the fact that she has macular degeneration in one eye, my grandson Mark's maternal grandmother (Nana) is able to drive the six-year-old to his school.

One morning Mark banged his hand before she arrived. During the drive, he admitted, "I cried, Nana."

"That's all right," she said. "We all cry occasionally. It's God's special gift for you to help get rid of hurt feelings."

Satisfied, Mark then asked, "What's your special gift from God, Nana?"

Before she could answer, he answered his own question. "I know, your special gift is that even though you can't see, you can still drive a car."

—Grayce Holland McLamb
Winter Park, Florida

During a weekend visit with my sister, I read to her granddaughter Adrienna from her children's Bible story book. After our story time, I quizzed Adrienna on what we read.

"Who was the man with the big boat?"

"Noah," she piped right up.

Then—I don't know why—I asked, "What was his last name?"

"Zark!" she replied with authority.

—Donna M. Cotner
Hopewell, Virginia

During morning devotions with his two young daughters, our family friend, Bill Cage, realized he hadn't been spending as much time with his girls as he wanted. After apologizing he said, "You know, it's not always important the quantity of time we spend together, as it is the quality of time we spend together."

Kiristen, 6, and Madison, 4, didn't quite understand.

Bill further explained, "Quantity means how much time, and quality means how good the time is we spend together. Which would you rather have?"

Not missing a beat, Kiristen replied, "Quality time—and a lot of it!"

—Pat Ferguson
Virginia Beach, Virginia

During the noisy ride home from church one Sunday, my daughter Shannon's two oldest children were clamoring for attention from the back seat. Both were asking questions simultaneously. Shannon reminded them that she could only listen to one of them at a time.

To which five-year-old Erin replied, "But Mommy, God gave you two ears!"

—Martie Callaghan
Stevensville, Maryland

My friend Britta constantly teaches her children that telling the truth is the right thing to do. However, one day, she couldn't get away from someone she'd run into, so she told a fib about having an appointment.

Her six-year-old daughter Jenna, standing nearby, tugged at her mother's slacks and said, "Remember, Mommy, we talked about lying."

—Elinor Filice
Niagara Falls, New York

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