“There, you see that?” Janice glanced into the back seat at Norman. “The driver in the blue car. Watch.”

Janice held out a hand over the steering wheel and gestured at the man in the blue car to go along. After a second, the car pulled past the stop line and made a right turn, speeding away.

“Power. That’s what power is, Norman.” Janice nodded to herself in a satisfied manner as she watched a red car pull up to the intersection. With a swishing hand wave, she waved the driver along. “No one is entitled to just go next. The rules of society must be observed, and you’ll understand this when you grow up.”

Norman, not even two years old and unable to understand Janice’s explanation, was nevertheless very impressed with her hand gestures. Reaching out with his shorter arms, he gurgled incomprehensibly as he imitated his mother’s sweeping motions as best a tiny conductor could while strapped snugly into a baby booster seat.

“Yes, remember that when you grow up. Being able to give is power. Like when your mother is giving these people the right-of-way, even when it’s completely mine.” Janice smiled at Norman’s imitation movements, then frowned and reached over to wipe a line of drool running down his chin. “But when you grow up, never forget: if you ever find yourself in a position of giver, with great power comes great responsibility. It sounds cliché, but you’d be surprised at how many people in this world occupy that position and are terrible givers.”

A black sedan pulled up on their left, and Norman waved at the vehicle through the windows. Except the vehicle barely slowed down as the driver went straight through the intersection.

“Now, you see that?” Janice pointed at the disappearing black vehicle. “Probably some hot-headed young man. Believes that power means to take whatever he wants. And so he takes the right-of-way that is not his. He doesn’t understand at all, of course. What he did just now, that wasn’t him demonstrating any power at all. That was me allowing him to do so. Once again, the position to give.”

A knuckle tapped twice against the window and Janice looked to the side, then unlocked the door for Giselle.

“No good,” Giselle sighed as she got into the passenger seat. “I gave it a look but I have no idea what’s wrong. What were you talking to Norman about?”

“Well thank you for checking anyways, hun.” Janice leaned over to kiss Giselle on the cheek, then tilted her head at Norman before gesturing another car along. “Oh, I was just teaching Norman about the responsibilities of being in a position to give. Quite powerful.”

Giselle raised an eyebrow and then turned around to Norman, who was gurgling happily at both of his mothers.

“Don’t listen to her nonsense, Norman. If she had brought the car to the mechanic last week when I told her to, the car might not be stalled on the side of the road.”