We were doing something as ordinary as a grocery run at Meijer when this whole root beer adventure started. My family was grabbing the usual staples when I remembered that my niece—visiting from Portugal—loves root beer. She doesn’t have easy access to it over there, so I wanted to make a batch while she was here. I decided to sweeten it with maple syrup. Maple syrup digests more slowly than refined sugar and brings along trace minerals, and it also layers in a deeper flavor.

My seven-year-old son is pictured here starting our first campfire of the season—with a magnesium and flint striker. Yes, I let him do it. And yes, my son can be impulsive. So the obvious question follows: why would I hand something dangerous to a child who doesn’t always think before he acts? Shouldn’t I protect him from that? Shouldn’t I step in, control the risk, and keep him safe from himself? That instinct—to remove danger, to minimize risk, to protect at all costs—is co