Edge

"Take off the edge," she always says. "It's yucky." And then she makes a face. As if she is completely disgusted at the very thought of eating the crust on her grilled cheese sandwich. Or her pumpkin bread.

"But the edge is the best part!" I said. "The edge is where the sandwich begins and the sandwich ends, all at the same time. The edge is where the nuts give the pumpkin bread that irresistibly crispy texture. The edge is where the frosting collects on the crunchy sides of a perfectly baked chocolate cake. The edge is where things start to get interesting because you know there is a chance you might fall off. The edge is where you have to muster up every ounce of grit and creativity you have within you to keep from going over it. The edge is exhilarating."

By that point my daughter had figured out that I was no longer talking about pumpkin bread. Or a grilled cheese sandwich. Or even cake. She didn't quite get it. But that's okay. My daughter is her own person, with her own preferences and her own ideas about what is fun. She knows what the edge is. It is up to her to figure out whether she likes it or not.