We had friends over yesterday and Nate had done a really good job playing with their son, who is even younger than...

We had friends over yesterday and Nate had done a really good job playing with their son, who is even younger than James. They had gone home, Nate was contentedly colouring on the dining room table, and I sensed a great parenting moment in the making.

I walked quietly up to Nate, gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and said in my most fatherly encouraging voice, "Nate, I was really proud of the way you played with Rudy today, that was very good."

Nate looked deep in thought. Maybe he didn't quite understand. So I began to elaborate on how he had done a good job playing at Rudy's level, how that had probably made Rudy very happy, that it made me very happy, and perhaps that made Nate feel good too. I paused to see if this had sunk in.

Without skipping a beat, Nate goes, "Daddy.... I think I should get a treat for playing so nicely with Rudy."