Every December, Ethan's family gathered at his grandmother's house to make tamales. This year, for the first time, she told him he was old enough to help at the big kitchen table instead of just watching.

She showed him how to spread masa on a corn husk with the back of a spoon. Ethan worked fast, piling on thick layers so he could finish more than his cousins. When his grandmother checked his husks, she shook her head and laughed. The masa was so thick that there was no room for the filling, and the husks would not fold closed.

She did not take over. Instead, she placed her hand over his and spread the masa again, slowly, until it was as thin as a tortilla. His next tamale took much longer, but it folded perfectly.

Late in the afternoon, Ethan's little cousin Mateo sat down next to him and reached for a husk. Ethan picked up a spoon and said, "Here, let me show you how Grandma does it."