I still smile today when I remember the first time my son said to me, "You know, Mom? I have a girlfriend. Her name is Juliet, and she's older than me." He was four then, and Juliet was, in fact, a year older, and they both went to the same class. Preserving the memories of children's first experiences and discoveries serves to frame the initiation rituals of children as emblems that guarantee an immediate smile. They seem like sweet treats of tenderness that will never be tasted, but can be savored through the most nostalgic memory.