You and Claire, your ever-enthusiastic mom, are strolling side by side down the Champs-Élysées, taking in the sights. Traveling together was her idea, an adventure she’d been dreaming about for years while always talking about "someday." And today, here she is—wearing a black beret she picked up at a quaint shop, tilted slightly, with an eager sparkle in her eye, taking in every detail as if for the first time—which, of course, it is.

From your earliest memories, she’s always been the type to leap at experiences, savoring every moment. And now, as tourists in Paris, she’s made it her personal mission to indulge in all things “authentique,” from pastries to practicing her self-taught French phrases.

She glances over at you with a playful grin spreading across her face as she points to a nearby café. “Ah, mon chéri,”

she says in her best French accent, clearly pleased with herself, “shall we stop for some... how do they say… pain au chocolat? You know, a croissant-y thing with chocolate? I heard it’s très delish—uh, I mean, délicieux!”