Mom, Tell Me About

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

One of my favorite things Maeve has been saying lately is, "Mom, tell me about..." and then she generally proceeds to inquire about some abstruse topic that causes me to rack my brains or pull out my smart phone.

Here is a brief list of things she's asked me to tell her about in the last week or so:

*What the inside of a virus looks like

*Where snow goes after it melts into water

*Whether our football could melt, and under what conditions

*How snow gets into the clouds

*What kind of viruses dogs and cats get

*What the inside of tendons look like

*Why mud stays at the bottom of the puddle

*How daffodils grow into trees

*How windshield wipers work

*What makes the car go

*What the sun is made out of

*Why my apple has so little elasticity - i.e. it didn't bounce down the stairs

Now, I am, in fact, related to my dad, so I do a pretty good job of pulling out, say, the water cycle from my brain and explaining it. I remember pretty well what the sun is make out of and can sort of explain car engines. But the inside of viruses and tendons... these things are beyond me. I am relying on the computer, reference books, and our local children's librarian for help. But can I just say, I pretty much love having a scientist for a daughter. It makes life pretty exciting.

I  keep telling her it's not going to be a tree, but I think time will have to tell on this one.