My husband and I had just finished tucking our five young ones into bed one
evening when we heard sobbing coming from three- year-old Billy’s room. Rushing
to his side, we found him crying hysterically. He had accidentally swallowed a
penny and was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking could change his
mind.
Desperate to calm him, my husband palmed a penny that he happened to have in
his pocket and pretended to pull it from Billy’s ear. Billy was delighted. In a
flash, he snatched it from my husband’s hand, swallowed it, and demanded
cheerfully, “Do it again, Dad!”