Sorry, This Lap Is Taken!

Random awkward encounters with people 12 and under.

The girls and me in Marrakesh (left) and Sarajevo (Photos from my personal collection)

I like to think I can hold my own in the company of strangers, but it’s an art that took me decades to master. When I did, it was mostly out of necessity: It would be hard to be an effective journalist if I couldn’t carry on conversations with people I don’t know. So I’ve learned to fake it, although underneath the gregarious…