Ocean Wonders, Sticky Styrofoam

What Sam finds thrilling are spaghetti noodles, muddy shoes, and the increasingly sophisticated safety gadgets I attach to our electrical outlets to keep his fingers out of them. These household items present an unplumbed universe of smells, textures and tastables. His eyes and muscles fully engage such common wonders, sending synapses roaring across his brain like miniscule meteor showers. This is why being confined to his stroller and steered through ill-lit passageways of the Georgia Aquarium with a view of the spider-veined backs of adult knees was...boring.

Yes, he saw the rare Taiwanese whale sharks. Yes, the river gar like brown pencils floating in the water. Yes, the monstrous whiskered catfish. When we reached the 40-foot high tank of rainbow-coloured tropical fish, he pitched a royal, limb-lashing fit. So I scrounged around our things and offered him a... crumbly cookie and a... wait a second, here we are... sticky styrofoam cup.

All better.