This morning, our one-year-old brat solved the common puzzler: what’s the sound of one hand clapping?

The setup: Eric already entertaining himself with a flashlight. His fine motor skills starting to show, he’s able to control a teeny spring-loaded button to turn on the light. We reward him with a little clap. Then kicks in that other reflex of similar aged little people: clapping back. But he does not want to let the flashlight go, resulting in only a single spare hand.

About to clap, he realizes something is wrong. He looks at his hands, one then the other. Then a smile as he comes up with a solution: He uses his free hand to slap on his own face. It makes a sound.