The Magnetic Field

My son woke up the other day bright and early.

He had one thing on his mind and it consumed his thoughts the entire day: a magnetic field.

I have no idea why.

But for some unknown reason, he thought I would be a great source of information.

You can stop laughing now.

We were heading to the library for our weekly trip, so I encouraged him to find a book on the subject.

"Unless you like hearing me say, 'I don't know,'" over and over again.

Later during room time, he devised a plan. His goal: to create his own magnetic field.

By the afternoon, he had talked his big sister into joining his scientific research.

They spent two hours sitting side-by-side on his bed with a notebook. I could hear them brainstorming, debating and planning while I cooked dinner.

It was music to my ears.

They presented me with a shopping list:

• lots and lots of tiny, super powerful magnets
  
• zip lock baggies
• tin foil
• a toilet paper roll
• rubber bands
• candy (not for the experiment, but we will need a snack)

The team resumed their research after dinner.

After I tucked my toddler in bed, I peeked in my son's room to check on them.

"Mom, we're glad you're here," he said.

"Yes, Mom, we need to ask you an important question," my daughter added.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and tried really hard to keep a straight face.

"We are going to make history. We are going to create the world's first man-made super duper magnetic field out of everyday stuff," they proclaimed proudly.

"And we need your help. It will take us years and years and you'll be very old when we are done. We need you to test it out since you'll have led a full life....ya know, in case something goes wrong."

I bit my lip.

"But don't worry Mom, when we're famous, we'll give you a little bit of credit."

"Sign me up," I said.

It was an offer I couldn't refuse.