I thought my mother was going to flip out when Paul came over to eat at our house. To my surprise, she ignored him, even though he wore his hat, put his elbows on the table, and rocked back in his chair. I thought she'd go crazy when he talked with his mouth full of food. To my astonishment, she looked past this too. But when Paul slammed a glass of soda and burped the ABCs, she couldn't restrain herself. "What a wonderful rendition of the alphabet, Paul. And how age appropriate." Paul was confused - unsure of what her reaction meant.