Adults sometimes assume that young children understand little about the pressures surrounding them.
Certainly, children do not usually grasp complex financial or social circumstances in the same way adults do.
But they can notice shifts in behavior, tone of voice, facial expressions, and family routines.
A child may not know why a parent is worried.
Yet the child may recognize that the parent has become unusually quiet.
A child may not understand an argument about household expenses.
Yet the child may sense tension afterward.
This does not mean children should be expected to solve adult problems.
They should not carry responsibility for their parents' emotional well-being or feel obligated to make everyone happy.
Mateo was not responsible for repairing his family.
The responsibility for maintaining a supportive household belonged to Carlos and Elena.
His laughter simply offered them an opportunity to recognize something important.
What made the moment powerful was how the adults responded.
