I tuned in to local AM radio the other morning while driving Thalia to school in order to hear the traffic report. I like to try to get a bead on what I’ll be facing after I get her dropped off, in advance of my 35+ minute commute that follows. This particular morning, while I was listening to the rapid-fire chatter of  Boston’s poly-appellated roads and all the ways the traffic reporter could say, essentially, “You’re screwed,” Thalia started randomly giggling. Not with her fake-laugh giggle that kids seem to adopt around age three, but the classic, uncontrollable belly-laugh giggle. I asked her what was so funny, and she said, “Bumper to bumper.”

I asked if the guy had said “bumper to bumper” on the radio, and that made her laugh all the more. We said “bumper to bumper” (which I must admit has a nice percussive cadence to it) to each other for a while, giggling away, and that made for a pleasant ride to school.