Folded napkins

Once or twice a year our children have their lunch at the school canteen. Today is one of those days. Just as we are about to leave laden down with school bags, sport bags and library books, my 6 year old daughter asks..’Do we have napkins ?’.

‘Would a piece of kitchen roll be OK’, I ask hopefully.

She shuffles her feet. ‘ All the other children have napkins.’ She mutters.

I race to the linen cupboard and eventually emerge triumphantly with two napkins. She gives me a watery smile. ‘What’s wrong ?’ I ask.

‘Well, they aren’t ironed, all the other children have nice folded napkins, and some even have a wooden ring.’ I return, now feeling rather desperate to the linen cupboard. ‘ I am sure Grandma ironed some napkins when she was here’, she adds helpfully.

At last, right at the bottom of the cupboard I find two crisply ironed napkins.

My daughter looks relieved and I bundle them quickly in the car, before she asks if we have any wooden rings to go round the napkins !!..