Monday

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.

41 comments:

Britta said...

OMG that is the funniest thing i read today...love their imagination = )

monica said...

super duper. lol.

kids are so creative!

Gwen said...

see, this is exactly the thing that I miss because I don't have little kids and the reason that I enjoy your blog! Hilarious!

(I have young adult stepchildren, they just want money or love advice, not half as entertaining)

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

YOur kids sound great!

ANd think they'll even give you a "memorial"..sniff sniff ;0)

Amanda said...

Wow, what a great mommy you are! Not even a moment's hesitation!!

Muthering Heights said...

LOL, good to know your contribution will be recorded...

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

Too hilarious! Ah, kids, they are the masters of creation aren't they?

Michelle said...

I love your sense of humor...and I have to apologize, I'm still laughing. It's because you have company. I realized it hits too close to home.

Nicole A. said...

Oh that is too funny! Kids are so hilarious! I love this story.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Cute, very cute. I just love the minds of kids. So I assume your okay?

Unknown said...

I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are proud to have known such a stalwart supporter of her children, that, having led a "full life" she was prepared to make the scientific sacrifice required for the education of her youngsters.

*silent weeping* (yeah, I know it looks like laughter, but really, it's weeping!)

Jo said...

That is PRICELESS. How you kept a straight face I'll never know!
-Jo

Southern Comfort said...

That is a great post. Of course, you know you may have to test this field out more than once because these things rarely work the first time. I hope you aren't too old for the final test~ your kids sound so cute. I agree with Gwen that you miss this kind of thing when you don't have little kids around, mine are 19 and 20, and I doubt they'll let me test any of their inventions anymore.

Melissa said...

That is absolutely hysterical. Just what I needed to get this Monday started!

Elizabeth said...

Kids are so funny! My husband says they clearly need to spend a little thought on the ethics of using humans for their clinical trials. :-D (He's in pharmaceutics research).

Claremont First Ward said...

Now those are TWO scientists that are headed for the Nobel Prize! :)

C.Thompson said...

That's great:-)

Mama Jessica said...

Hands down one of the greatest kids stories ever! I love it!

Monica said...

Sounds like your kids would get along great with my son. He hasn't thought of that yet, but he always has a project to work on.

Brenis said...

ROFL!!!!!!!! How nice that they are willing to give you a little bit of the credit if you bite the dust!!! LOLOLOL Priceless! Please be sure to post a picture of their first man made magnetic feild!! Dyin to see what they come up with!! LOL!!

Anonymous said...

You are so brave, to put the needs of the many (you're making history after all) above the needs of the one (you). You are an inspiration.

But I'm still not drinking every "experiment" my daughter makes in the blender. I've seen some of the ingredients. Besides, that's what brothers are for, right?

Beth Cotell said...

How adorable! Any chance you guys could move next door to us? I think creating a super duper magnetic force field would be more beneficial to my kids than watching yet another episode of Sponge Bob!

Merrie said...

Oh how hilarious! I couldnt have done it...I could not have bit my lip hard enough.

ROFL!

Huriya said...

LOL! so funny but very smart!

Kim said...

Ahh...the unbridled confidence of youth!

Miss Mandy said...

I love it! As if the getting along part wasnt' enough...now they're going to be famous scientists.

So cute.

Ashleigh Baker said...

This reminds me so very, very much of the things my brother and I used to do... as a mom now, it's beyond me how my own mom could just let us take on these projects. Our imaginations ran WILD most of the time and she just went with it!

grannyann said...

So what happened with the super magnetic field? Don't leave us hanging.

Andrea@Hopefulhousewife said...

this might be the most "super duper" blog entry I have ever read. So funny!! I love the way kids think. So fascinating to get a peek into their minds. :)

Jaden Paige said...

hehehe... at least you know you have *years and years* ahead of you before you kick the bucket in a glorious attempt to validate your children's research! ;)

Alice said...

homeschoolers, no doubt :)

Aimee said...

Oh, that is so funny! I love that their shopping list included candy too!

Happy said...

So good that they will give you credit where credit is due at least!

Holly Campbell said...

You will tell us what happens next, right? The suspense might just be too much! :)

Sounds like they had a fun day, which means you had a good day!

Christie O. said...

oh how funny! i remember being a "chemist" when i was younger and dissolving the little easter egg pellets and mixing the water. unfortunately my creativity ended there. you'll have to keep us posted on their progress!!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Young Wife said...

That is so cute! Who knows? Maybe this will lead to a career for them in science!

Kara said...

That is too hilarious! I love that they were busy all day with this project too:)

Andrea said...

That's so funny! I love it!

Kristen said...

Well. In a word, the experiment failed. Because they lost interest. But every day is a new day!

Lynn said...

That is the best conversation EVER! Only a mom who is inspiring could bring on that much world-changing inspiration.

BTW...I forgot to add in my chicken/cookbook giveaway comment....only you would ask for chicken. Cracked me up!